By picking up this weekend his sixth titleaccompanied by its second MVP trophy in the Euroleague, the equivalent of the Champions League in football, the Belgian basketball player equaled the record held jointly by the American Diana Taurasi, the Spaniard Alba Torrens and the Russian Natalia Vieru. A record that she could therefore hold alone in the coming years.
At only 30 years old, Yproise has already surpassed ex-icon Ann Wauters to become the greatest Belgian basketball player in history. By being barely chauvinistic, we could even broaden the observation by granting her the status of best European player of all time. A rank that she notably strengthened last summer by leading the Belgian Cats to the gold medal at the Eurowhile being voted best player of the tournament. We also don't forget her title acquired in the WNBA with Washington in 2019, when she was elected MVP of the finals of the prestigious American championship.
The American coach on Emma Meesseman: “She is one of the best players in the world”
Unrivaled in team sports
It is undeniable, Emma Meesseman is one of the greatest ladies in the history of Belgian sport. In the history of team sports, men and women alike, no one has such a glorious record. Even if the comparison with individual sports remains quite uncertain, today, we can dare to classify her in the wake of true legends like Ingrid Berghmans, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Nafissatou Thiam.
Each, in their discipline, has raised the black-yellow-red flag to the highest level in the world hierarchy. As a reminder, in tennis, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, former world number 1, each won 43 singles titles, including seven Grand Slam crowns for the Walloon and four for the Flemish. Both also led Belgium to victory in the Fed Cup. Ingrid Berghmans, for her part, wrote some great pages in Belgian judo in the 1980s with several world and European titles to her credit. This led to her being voted Belgian Sportswoman of the Year seven times. As for Nafi Thiam, she has worn the colors of Belgium high in recent years, becoming one of the icons of world athletics. In heptathlon, the 29-year-old from Namur has already completed the Grand Slam (Olympic, world, Euro) twice outdoors. She is also the world record holder for the pentathlon (indoor).
Only an Olympic medal is missing from his list of achievements
To definitively enter the circle of the greatest Belgian champions, Emma Meesseman may still be missing an Olympic line in her list of achievements. Indeed, Ingrid Berghmans, Justine Henin and Nafi Thiam each managed to touch the Grail by putting Olympic gold around their necks. Emma Meesseman and the Belgian Cats will try to win a medal at the Paris Olympics this summer. If they succeed, their emblematic captain will be permanently placed in the pantheon of Belgian sport.
