The Mumbai monsoons have been a standout feature of Girona and Spain star Marta Canella’s trip to India, so much so that they provided a brief disruption to the schedule, as her sit-down with Sportstar was briefly delayed by rain.
Canella is in India, along with the VIBGYOR Group of Schools, to conduct a series of elite basketball workshops for school students aged 10 to 18. The Girona player is relishing the opportunity to grow the game among Indian school students, and sees a tremendous opportunity to learn, both for the students and her.
“This is an amazing opportunity, in this case, for the kids here. But so it is for me. This way I can expand my view, my knowledge of the world of basketball. Working with kids is always extremely rewarding, seeing a smile on their faces after every practice, or just walking around and then wanting to ask questions, to know about our life there and everything…it’s been very, very fulfilling,” she says.
Canella’s approach thus far has been tempered by the knowledge that she has limited time with the participants. She has opted to place less focus on technical aspects of the game and more on developing practice habits, purpose, and teamwork.
“We are trying to show them that there is a purpose to every practice and especially that this is a team sport. So, we are trying to work with a lot of team drills where they have to communicate with their teammates and help each other,” she explained.
Teamwork was central to Canella’s beginnings with basketball. A self-professed lover of team sports, she played both football and basketball as a child before settling on basketball. For many years, she balanced pursuing her sporting career with academics, completing a Master’s degree while playing for Barca CBS in Liga Femenina 2—the second division. Once her side was promoted, she decided to take the plunge and go professional.
Reflecting on the time management required for this, she said, “…Going to the practices, to my games and everything, that’s what I really, really wanted to do. That was like my reward of the day, which I think I was looking forward to every day, every week. But at the same time, I knew I had to do good with my studies to be able to go to what was my hobby at that moment. So, in that way, it was kind of easy because I knew what my priorities were.”
Canella shifted to Girona in 2023, where she had a prolific 2024-25 domestic season. Her side, Spar Girona, finished atop LF Endesa, the top division of Spanish women’s basketball, before narrowly losing out to Basket Zaragoza in the playoffs.
In line with the ethos of her workshops, the Girona point guard identifies hard work and reliability as key to her form, saying, “I think that’s where I try to be different from the rest, you know, to be someone you can rely on. At the end of the day, this is a team. In this case, if it’s a top team, you know that you’re going to have, individually, some better moments and some worse moments. So, I think you have to be okay with that because what you want is that the team succeeds, everything that you are doing is for the team to succeed,” she adds.
On the back of its domestic success, Girona will play the 2025-26 EuroLeague Women, where it has been drawn in a group with sides from Czechia and Poland. This represents a unique opportunity for Canella to face off against sides based in other countries. It is one she is looking forward to.
Aside from the opportunity to travel and compete for a European title, she views coming up against distinct styles of play from different countries and leagues as a unique challenge posed by such competitions.
“You have to meet what you know from basketball with what you know from the country and then what you know from the players themselves, because at the end, they are the ones who make the game in that case,” she says.
The challenge of 3×3 Basketball
Canella has also donned the Spanish jersey, where she has made waves in the 3×3 format. She was part of the Spanish side that won the 3×3 FIBA Europe Cup in 2021 and received a call-up to the national side in May.
“The 3×3 is way more fast-paced. I think every player has to be able to do everything that you can do on a basketball court,” she said.
Canella pinpointed that playing 3×3 has made her a better basketball player, noting that it requires her to adapt physically and mentally to challenges in a format that requires her to be a “360 type of player”.
The 3×3 format was introduced as an Olympic event during the Tokyo 2020 edition, and Canella reflected on this, saying, “I think it’s great because I think the numbers of the coverage have shown that it is extremely followed when it’s streamed, when people have the chance to watch it easily with access.”
She further added, “You have a lot of feelings involved in those 10 minutes, and then you just rotate the teams and you can watch the next and next and next. So, I feel like it could be compared to scrolling on TikTok, but in sports terms. I think by introducing it as a new Olympic sport, it’s been great for the sport and also for the audience.”
The 3×3 format is an integral part of the Spaniard’s future as well. “My main goal is to be able to represent my country there in the next Olympics in LA. It’s true that I could have the chance with both basketball forms, but I think the 3×3 would be way more exciting and maybe way more realistic in my case. So, that’s the main goal for the future.”
