WAEL Arakji may not have steered Lebanon to the gold medal in the 2022 Fiba Asia Cup, but he certainly captivated the fans in Asia and the world with his exceptional play in the Jakarta showpiece.
And surely, the 27-year-old guard, who has drawn comparisons with Spurs legend Manu Ginobili, appreciated the love that was brought his way for the past two weeks as he guided the Cedars to a dream run to the finals.
"I guess people love the underdogs. Any team that is an underdog, people will cheer for them and support them," he said with a chuckle even after his side's close 75-73 loss to Australia in the gold medal game on Sunday.
[See Aussies survive giant scare from Lebanon in Fiba Asia Cup finals]
Lebanon's bridesmaid finish should not tarnish Arakji's superb play in the tourney where he averaged 26.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, including an amazing 28-point performance to help the Cedars make a late run at the mighty Boomers.
And rightfully so, the Beirut Club slasher was named the Tournament MVP as he was the unquestionable heart and soul of this Lebanon crew.
To Arakji, the defeat may sting but the Cedars can hold their head high knowing that Lebanon was able to show that it can hold a candle against the best of them, particularly Australia.
"It's a very tough loss, but I'm very proud of this team," he said.
"We just faced one of the toughest teams in the world. We come from a very small country, a very regular league, playing against one of the toughest players in the world from the NBL. No matter what happened out there, I just enjoyed every single minute with every single person on my team."

He ended: "We fell short in the end, we could've won the game, but congratulations to Australia. Sky's the limit for us, hopefully. It's the first time for most players playing in the Fiba Asia so hopefully year after year, we'll gain confidence and our performance will get better every time."
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