Qurban announces retirement from international basketball

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

One of Bahrain’s most celebrated basketball stars has announced his retirement from international play, following years of representing the Kingdom at all levels of competition.

Al Ahli Club power forward Mohammed Qurban yesterday revealed that he will no longer be competing with the senior men’s national team, despite a number of important competitions still to come for Bahrain in the coming months.

Qurban said on social media: “It’s with a heavy heart that the time has come to officially announce my retirement from the Bahrain national team.”

According to sources, the six-foot, three-inch 34-yearold decided it was the right time to hang up his national team jersey for multiple reasons, one of them being to give other younger players the chance to compete for the country. Qurban, popularly known in the local basketball community as “Bruno”, is one of the most successful players in Bahraini basketball.

He has been the inspirational captain at Ahli the past two seasons, during which they clinched back-to-back titles in three of the top national events: the Zain Bahrain Basketball League, the Khalifa bin Salman Cup and the Bahrain Super Cup.

He was also a member of the Manama Club team when they won five straight league titles from 2013 to 2018, and before that also clinched a handful of championships with Ahli.

With the national team, Qurban has played at every level for Bahrain for 20 years. In his senior career, he has helped the Bahrainis achieve multiple successes at the GCC, Arab and continental levels.

He was also an instrumental piece in the team that qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup later this year—the same team that is also currently set to continue their bid in qualification for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.