KAUNAS, Lithuania — Juan Carlos Navarro stole the spotlight from what was supposed to be a big matchup between Pau Gasol and Tony Parker, leading Spain to its second straight European basketball championship.
Navarro scored 27 points to pace Spain to a 98-85 victory over France in the final on Sunday.
“This is a historic team,” said Navarro, who is known in his homeland as “La Bomba” for his scoring ability. “We’ll see what are the limits of this selection (of players).”
Gasol chipped in with a double-double, adding 17 points and 10 rebounds for Spain, which became the first repeat champion since Yugoslavia in 1997.
Navarro, who earned MVP honors for the tournament, spent a season in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies before returning to Barcelona in 2008.
Parker scored 26 points for France, but the San Antonio Spurs star got little help and could not bring his team its first continental title.
