Isaac Nogués, twelfth Valencia Basket debutant with Spain

Shooting guard Isaac Nogués, who yesterday finalized his signing with Valencia Basket for the next two seasons, played his first minutes with the Spanish National Basketball Team in the friendly match that the national team played tonight in Paris against France, stepping onto the court in the final stretch of the third quarter. Despite a strong first half by the Spanish side, the game ended with a home victory, 78–73.

When Nogués entered the court, it marked the first time in a national team game that six players from our Club had worn Spain’s jersey at the same time. Before the Catalan guard’s debut, five of his new teammates had already taken the floor at the Accor Arena: Sergio De Larrea and Xabi López-Arostegui (both starters), Jaime Pradilla, Josep Puerto, and Yankuba Sima.

With this debut, Valencia Basket’s newest signing has become the twelfth player to earn his first minutes with the national team while belonging to the club. In the last fourteen months, three players have joined this list: point guard Sergio De Larrea, forward Josep Puerto, and now Nogués himself.

1. Nacho Rodilla

The first Valencia Basket player to represent Spain. He joined the national team during the qualifiers for EuroBasket in France, making his debut on November 29, 1997, in a win over England where he contributed 7 points and 2 assists. Rodilla finished 5th at the 1998 World Cup in Athens and won silver at EuroBasket 1999 in France. He played a total of 40 games for Spain.

2. Albert Miralles

After standing out in Italy, Miralles had already agreed to join Valencia Basket when Mario Pesquera gave him his first chance with Spain. He debuted on August 27, 2005, in a victory over France, though he did not score. He wore the national team jersey six times.

3. Víctor Claver

The Valencia-born forward was the first youth academy product from Valencia Basket to debut with the Spanish national team while on the club’s roster. He was called up before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, playing his first game on July 18, 2008, in an easy win over Portugal where he scored 11 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. That same day, Juanjo Triguero also earned his sole international cap. Although Claver was cut before the Olympics, he became a regular fixture for Spain, winning eight medals (including the 2019 World Cup gold and the EuroBasket titles in 2009, 2011, and 2015), with a total of 169 caps.

4. Rafa Martínez

The eternal “taronja” captain was called up for the 2010 World Cup preparation, where he coincided with Claver, marking the first time Valencia Basket had two players in the Spanish squad. He debuted on August 1, 2010, against Canada but did not score. Martínez represented Spain five times.

5. Pablo Aguilar

The power forward had already signed with Valencia Basket when, on August 13, 2013, he played his first game with Spain in Castellón, a friendly against Poland that ended 70–66. Aguilar went on to win bronze at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia and gold at EuroBasket 2015, playing 43 games with the national team.

6. Pau Ribas

The guard wore Spain’s jersey for the first time on August 6, 2014, in A Coruña in a friendly against Canada, which Spain won 82–70. That marked the beginning of an international career in which he won gold at EuroBasket 2015 and the 2019 World Cup, amassing 35 appearances.

7. Guillem Vives

The point guard debuted with Spain’s senior team on August 11, 2015, in a win against Belgium during preparations for EuroBasket, where he won gold. He returned in 2017 alongside teammates Sastre and San Emeterio, claiming bronze. Vives currently has 32 caps with the national team.

8. Joan Sastre

Just over a month after lifting the Spanish League trophy, Sastre got his chance with Spain, debuting on July 23, 2017, in a 76–56 win over Israel, scoring 11 points. He made the EuroBasket 2017 roster, winning bronze, and has since returned to the squad multiple times, reaching 23 appearances so far.

9. Jaime Pradilla

The Aragonese power forward made his debut during his second season with Valencia Basket, in a 2023 World Cup qualifier in Skopje on November 26, 2021, where Spain defeated North Macedonia 94–65 and Pradilla scored 6 points. He played at EuroBasket 2022, missed the final cut for the 2023 World Cup, but returned for the Paris Olympics. Tonight, he earned his 42nd cap in preparation for EuroBasket 2025.

10. Sergio De Larrea

The Valladolid-born guard was called up during preparations for the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers in Valencia, debuting in a friendly against the Dominican Republic in Alicante on June 28, 2024. Spain won 84–74, with De Larrea scoring 7 points. His first official cap came shortly after, in the November 2024 qualifiers, and he already has 8 caps.

11. Josep Puerto

After two call-ups without debuting (World Cup qualifiers in February 2022 and the 2024 Olympic Qualifier camp), the Valencia Basket captain finally debuted in the EuroBasket qualifiers in November 2024, scoring 10 points in a win over Slovakia in Ourense. With his appearance in Saturday night’s friendly against France, he now has 6 caps with Spain.

12. Isaac Nogués

It’s been a whirlwind week for the Badalona-born guard, a U19 World Champion in 2023. After an excellent past season in which he was named to the G-League All-Defensive First Team, on Tuesday the 12th he was called up to join the senior national team after standing out with Spain “B.” On Friday the 15th his signing with Valencia Basket for the next two seasons was confirmed, and on Saturday the 16th he made his debut with Spain’s senior team in the friendly against France at the Accor Arena.