FIBA Europe Youth Ambassador Natasa Kovacevic returned to action in France on Sunday, 18 months after tragically losing a leg in a motor vehicle accident.
Kovacevic was invited to play in the "Championnes de Coeur" (Champions of the heart), a women's exhibition game organised by theFrench Women's Basketball League (LFB) and run in conjunction with International Women's Day.
"Being back and playing the official game, even though it was an exhibition game, is a dream come true for me," expressed Kovacevic, talking to fibaeurope.com a day after the game.
"I am spending a lot of time practicing, but it is not the same as the game. It was a great feeling, full of joy and emotions.
"Just being there with the true greats of the game was a huge honour for me. I think we all had a lot of fun and it was truly an amazing experience," said Kovacevic, whose team included a host of upcoming and former French national team players, along with Serbian national team guard Milica Dabovic.
"The name of the game "Championnes du Coeur" really describes the whole event because it sent a powerful message with its humanitarian aspect and the promotion of women's basketball in general.
Despite it being an exhibition game, there was naturally still something of a competitive edge to proceedings with Kovacevic's team, coached by Serbian national team coach Marina Maljkovic winning 123-102.
"Marina is an established coach with huge experience and we had a lot of fun. We share a professional approach to the game, so we were especially glad that we won," Kovacevic concluded.