Corinthians boss attends event to watch the NBA Finals | OneFootball

During the Corinthians squad’s vacation period, Fernando Diniz took part in a commitment different from football. Last Saturday, the coach attended NBA House, an event held in São Paulo to celebrate the NBA Finals, the world’s premier basketball competition.

The visit took place during the broadcast of the fifth game of the league’s championship series. In the matchup, played at the Frost Bank Center in the United States, the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94–90 and secured the title by closing the series 4–1.

Photo: Disclosure/NBA Brazil

A tradition among Brazilian fans of the sport, NBA House is organized annually by the league itself and brings together attractions related to the world of basketball. The event takes place at Shopping Eldorado in São Paulo, offering live broadcasts of the Finals, interactive activities, and fan-focused experiences.

In a conversation with the NBA House organization, Fernando Diniz also took part in a lighthearted activity and named his ideal team in NBA history. The Corinthians coach chose Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Shaquille O’Neal to make up the lineup.

The coach’s connection with the event is nothing new. Last year, when he was still working at Vasco da Gama, Diniz attended an edition held in Rio de Janeiro to watch one of the games in the Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.

The manager’s interest in basketball had already become evident recently. In May, Corinthians received the Larry O’Brien Trophy — awarded to the NBA champion — at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava. On that occasion, Diniz took part in the event and posed for photos alongside the trophy.

His appearance at the event was one of the coach’s first public outings since the start of the break in the national calendar for the World Cup. The Corinthians squad went on recess after a 3–1 win over Grêmio in Porto Alegre in the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship on May 30.

With activities temporarily suspended, the group will only return to training on June 25, when it will begin preparations for the rest of the season.

Since taking charge of Corinthians at the beginning of April, Fernando Diniz has led the team in 16 official matches. In that span, he has recorded nine wins, four draws, and just three losses, for a 65% success rate. Under his management, Timão scored 20 goals and conceded 12, averaging more than one goal per match and fewer than one goal conceded per game.

Before the break, the coach also led Corinthians to an important recovery in the Brazilian Championship. The team moved out of the relegation zone and climbed to 10th place in the table. In addition, it secured qualification for the Copa Libertadores round of 16, where it will face Rosario Central of Argentina. The club also advanced to the Copa do Brasil round of 16 and will take on Internacional.

After activities resume, the first commitment will be a friendly against FC Cascavel, a team that competes in Série D of the Brazilian Championship. The match is scheduled for July 12 at Estádio Olímpico Regional in Paraná.

The return to official matches is expected to take place on July 22. On that date, Corinthians is scheduled to face Remo at Neo Química Arena in a Brazilian Championship match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.