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Who’s the greatest basketball player in Cape Verde history?
- Updated: July 27, 2026
Tavares while playing for Real Madrid. (Photo courtesy: EuroHoops.net)
Right about the time that Sidny Lopes-Cabral’s shot started curling towards the back post, that split-second that millions around the world watching went from thinking “That’s a crazy shot” to “Oh shit… that’s going in,” Cape Verde had earned its place on the international sporting map.
The tiny island archipelago that sits about 400 miles off the coast of northwestern Africa, and has a population of about 530,000, had already done well just to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. It then pulled off a stunning 0-0 draw against eventual champion Spain in its group stage opener, put two in the back of the net to draw Uruguay, 2-2, and earned a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia to advance to the knockout stage.
Now this seemingly ragtag team of diaspora players was going toe-to-toe with reigning World Cup champion Argentina, and after going behind 2-1 in extra time, had just pulled it back with Lopes-Cabral’s wonder-strike, a goal that will go down as one of the most memorable in World Cup history.
The celebrations were wild and fitting for the moment.
“IT’S INCREDIBLE, IT’S REMARKABLE, IT’S ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE,” exclaimed Fox broadcaster Jon Strong, as Lopes-Cabral ran what seemed like miles from one end of the pitch and into the stands, waiting to hug his girlfriend.
It was one of the greatest moments in World Cup history, and it didn’t even matter that Argentina went on to win the game 3-2. Cape Verde will always have that moment, and its place in world sporting history.
Before the World Cup run, Cape Verde’s greatest sports moment might have been boxer Daniel Varela de Pina’s performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where he won the nation’s first-ever medal, bronze. Or, it could have been the previous summer, when the island nation qualified for the basketball World Cup– also for the first time ever.
And despite the heroics of World Cup goalkeeping sensation Vozinha and Lopes-Cabral, its greatest-ever athlete is still probably Walter Tavares, a seven-foot big man who was drafted into the NBA and made a mark on the sport despite never really having touched a basketball until he was 17 years old, when his passion was beach soccer.
Tavares, whose nickname is Edy, was discovered by a German tourist on vacation in Cape Verde in 2009, and he set up a meeting with his friend Raul Rodriguez, who happened to be the director of Spanish pro basketball club CB Gran Canaria’s youth academy. Rodriguez wanted to see a photo to verify Tavares size, so they sent him one. The two ended up meeting in the Cape Verdean capital of Praia, where the then 7-foot-1 Tavares had his first training.
Tavares spent six seasons with CB Gran Canaria, and then in 2014, he was chosen with the 43rd overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
He ended up only playing 13 games in the NBA– for the Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers– but carved out an incredible career as one of the best big men in Europe. He’s starred with Real Madrid in Spain since 2017, helping lead them to five Liga ACB domestic titles and two EuroLeague titles (2018, 2023). He won the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in 2023, going off for a beastly 20 points, 15 boards and 4 blocks in a semifinal win over Barcelona, and then posted a title-game double-double with 13 points and 10 boards in a 79-78 win over Olympiacos.
His athleticism and imposing size have led him to become one of the best defensive bigs in Europe, as he’s a three-time winner of the EuroLeague’s Best Defender award, led the competition in blocks seven times and has been named All-EuroLeague seven times. He was also named to the EuroLeague’s 25th Anniversary team.
His performance with the national team has been equally impressive, as Tavares led Cape Verde to qualify for the FIBA World Cup in 2023, after the team finished third in the African qualifiers. They became the smallest-ever nation to qualify for the World Cup, and like the soccer team, they weren’t satisfied just making it there, earning a win over Venezuela in group play.
It’s a remarkable career for any basketball player, especially one who was discovered on the beach by a tourist at age 17.
At 34, Tavares figures to have plenty of basketball left in him. Whatever he accomplishes next will only add to his legend as the Michael Jordan of Cape Verde.
