Iran's basketball great Haddadi retires from national team / Photo: © POOL/AFP
-
Nvidia says to invest in French medical website
-
Microsoft's Brad Smith calls for 'real and effective' AI safety standards
-
Real Madrid's Mourinho has 'trust' in referees despite complaints
-
Anthropic warns of AI 'worms' spreading across smart gadgets
-
Mendis, Shanaka star in Sri Lanka consolation T20I win
-
Big US banks report strong earnings and stay bullish on AI
-
Demonstrations backing France's protesting students gather strength
-
Iraola backs Barcola, Wirtz to come good for Liverpool
-
Trump says US Senate as hard to defend as House in midterms
-
In a first, AI helps UK lawmaker find her voice in parliament
-
Suspected Russian drones hit two ships off Bulgaria, 11 missing
-
Pope Leo in Rome hospital for lung operation
-
Tech stocks slide on AI jitters
-
EU watchdog says smart glasses must give 'clear warnings' when recording
-
Trump asks Greece ambassador to resign amid ethics scandal
-
Houthis say Saudi Arabia strikes oil site in Yemen's capital
-
New White House spokeswoman heavy on Trump praise, light on questions in debut
-
France roiled by marches in support of protesting students
-
Emery urges Villa to make most of reduced home comfort
-
Goldman Sachs profits jump as CEO says no plans to exit
-
Flavio Bolsonaro visits father under house arrest ahead of Brazil runoff
-
Apple unveils HomeView smart display in renewed home push
-
France, Eq. Guinea in standoff over luxury Paris mansion
-
Novelist Thelyson Orelien denies AI use, admits plagiarism 'mistakes'
-
'Holding our ground': Israel demolishes dozens of Bedouin homes
-
Trump asks Greece ambassador to resign amid bribery scandal: White House
-
Hazlewood takes six as Australia beat South Africa in 1st Test
-
11 missing after ships struck off Bulgaria in latest Black Sea attack
-
Saudi coalition tells Sanaa residents to flee site before operation
-
France budget debate faces rocky start as Socialists vow to fight
-
Zverev defies 'physical issues' to reach Shanghai Masters quarter-finals
-
AI could 'change the stakes' on bioweapons: UK spy chief
-
'We're not giving up': Activist Thunberg joins France student protests
-
Sweden centre-left leader fails to form government
-
Man City captain Dias defends celebrations after Liverpool win
-
EU economy chief doubtful Russian diesel exports will affect prices
-
B2PRIME Expands Tier-1 Access and Liquidity Architecture for Sophisticated Institutional Flow
-
Capital International Highlights Multilingual Access to Its Platform as European Economic Conditions Diverge
-
STARTRADER Adds 48 US Stock CFDs with 24-Hour Weekday Trading
-
Hazlewood takes six as Australia win first Test
-
'Ink' director Danny Boyle slams Trump's Truth Social 'lies'
-
Pope Leo admitted to hospital for lung operation
-
Coach Kovac extends contract at Dortmund until 2029
-
Hungary cuts anti-LGBTQ measures from Orban-era law
-
Activist Thunberg joins France student rally after violence at protests
-
Tech stocks slump on AI jitters; oil falls
-
Archer and Bethell in England squad for Australia ODI series
-
ePlanet Brokers Publishes H1 2026 Transparency Report and Highlights Best Broker 2026 Award
-
Formula One to return to Africa in 'early 2030s' in Rwanda
-
Van Gogh work unseen in public for 60 years on show in Hong Kong
Iran's basketball great Haddadi retires from national team
Hamed Haddadi, the only Iranian to play in the National Basketball Association, retired from international play at the age of 38 after his team was eliminated from the World Cup, state media reported.
The 7ft 2ins (2.18 metre) centre made the announcement late Saturday after Iran lost 81-73 to Lebanon in Jakarta to exit the World Cup after five consecutive losses, dashing hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.
"I have loved the national team and basketball, but one day you have to go and today is that day," state news agency IRNA quoted Haddadi as saying.
"It was a very difficult decision and I was hesitating until the last moment, but I decided to say goodbye and ended my career in the national team after the match with Lebanon."
Haddadi became the first and, as yet, only Iranian player to join the NBA when he signed for the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent.
Between 2008 and 2013 he appeared in 151 regular season games for Memphis and Phoenix averaging 2.2 points per game. He also made 13 post-season appearances for the Grizzlies.
Haddadi played 27 minutes against Lebanon and scored 14 points. He totalled 40 points in his last World Cup.
Since 2020 he has been playing for the Sichuan Blue Whales, his fourth stint with the Chinese Basketball Association team.
D.Schneider--BTB