A sudden mourning shocks the world of Fortitudo: Rubén Douglas, the hero of the 2005 Biancoblù Scudetto, has passed away. The news comes directly from the company which in an official note writes that it has received a phone call from his brother Ramon who communicated Ruben’s sudden death due to a sudden health problem. His death occurred in Costa Rica at just 44 years old. Unexpected and unpredictable news that leaves all Effe fans dismayed and in general a city that experienced one of the key moments in its basketball history with Douglas.
The shot at the end
Pasadena native guard, at the end of his first and only season in Fortitudo he wrote a page in the history of Italian basketball. It was June 16, 2005 when right at the end of game 4 of the Scudetto final against Milan, which led the American 65-64 he fired a shot that found the back of the retina with the time practically up. The referees took advantage of the opportunity to review the action using the instant replay that had been introduced that season and, after evaluating whether the shot had been fired in time, they awarded the second championship to Fortitudo.
An unprecedented moment for Italian basketball, an uncontainable joy for the white and blue people who still today remember with heroic tones that team created by president Seragnoli and coached by Repesa. At the end of the season the marriage between Douglas and Effe ended but the love continued because the athlete has always remained in contact with the environment and willingly returned to the city: the crowds in 2019 were memorable.
Society’s condolences
He also planned a next hug with his Fortitudo but didn’t have time to experience it. In the communication from the white-blue club we can read the great pain for this loss: «The whole large Fortitudo family cries, shocked and heartbroken, the far too premature death of an unforgettable actor who was the protagonist of his story, joining in a moving and very strong embrace with Ruben’s family.”
