体坛英语资讯：Finnish basketball international Koponen encourages children to play more than one sport
<p><span word="HELSINKI">HELSINKI</span>, <span word="June">June</span> 11-- <span word="Finnish">Finnish</span> <span word="international">international</span> <span word="guard">guard</span> <span word="Petteri">Petteri</span> <span word="Koponen">Koponen</span> <span word="encouraged">encouraged</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="sport">sport</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="football">football</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="helped">helped</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="basketball">basketball</span>.</p><p>"<span word="My">My</span> <span word="mother">mother</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="basketball">basketball</span> <span word="practices">practices</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="long">long</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="there">there</span>. <span word="Honestly">Honestly</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="want">want</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="football">football</span> <span word="instead">instead</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="actually">actually</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="first">first</span>," <span word="the">the</span> 32-<span word="year">year</span>-<span word="old">old</span> <span word="told">told</span> <span word="FIBA">FIBA</span>.</p><p>"<span word="My">My</span> <span word="godfather">godfather</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="watch">watch</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="streetball">streetball</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="son">son</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="playing">playing</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="coach">coach</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="me">me</span>, '<span word="Hey">Hey</span>, <span word="come">come</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="us">us</span>,' <span word="and">and</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="started">started</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="there">there</span>," <span word="Koponen">Koponen</span> <span word="recalled">recalled</span>.</p><p>"<span word="I">I</span>'<span word="d">d</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="school">school</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bus">bus</span> <span word="across">across</span> <span word="town">town</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Malmi">Malmi</span> <span word="Sports">Sports</span> <span word="Hall">Hall</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="basketball">basketball</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="soon">soon</span> <span word="began">began</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="dominate">dominate</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="age">age</span> <span word="group">group</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="put">put</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="against">against</span> <span word="boys">boys</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="older">older</span>."</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="Finn">Finn</span> <span word="continued">continued</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="football">football</span> <span word="until">until</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="age">age</span> <span word="of">of</span> 13 <span word="when">when</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="coach">coach</span> <span word="told">told</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="choice">choice</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="avoid">avoid</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="over">over</span>-<span word="tight">tight</span> <span word="schedule">schedule</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="games">games</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="practices">practices</span>.</p><p>"<span word="I">I</span> <span word="chose">chose</span> <span word="basketball">basketball</span>, <span word="although">although</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="football">football</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="believe">believe</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="helped">helped</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="basketball">basketball</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="think">think</span> <span word="kids">kids</span> <span word="should">should</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="sport">sport</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="can">can</span>," <span word="he">he</span> <span word="noted">noted</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> 2006, <span word="Koponen">Koponen</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="picked">picked</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="senior">senior</span> <span word="national">national</span> <span word="team">team</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="teenager">teenager</span>, <span word="right">right</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="FIBA">FIBA</span> <span word="Under">Under</span>-20 <span word="European">European</span> <span word="Championship">Championship</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="played">played</span> <span word="in">in</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="Finnish">Finnish</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> 30<span word="th">th</span> <span word="pick">pick</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> 2007 <span word="NBA">NBA</span> <span word="Draft">Draft</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Philadelphia">Philadelphia</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="entire">entire</span> <span word="pro">pro</span> <span word="career">career</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Europe">Europe</span>.</p><p>"<span word="The">The</span> <span word="coronavirus">coronavirus</span> <span word="pandemic">pandemic</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="shutdown">shutdown</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="shown">shown</span> <span word="us">us</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="free">free</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="before">before</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="granted">granted</span>. <span word="One">One</span> <span word="positive">positive</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="difficult">difficult</span> <span word="moment">moment</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="I">I</span>'<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="spend">spend</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="sons">sons</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="wife">wife</span>, <span word="something">something</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="never">never</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="before">before</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="really">really</span> <span word="enjoyed">enjoyed</span> <span word="it">it</span>," <span word="he">he</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p>
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