MIES (Switzerland) – My friend Juan visited Riga with his family last Christmas. He told me that, despite the cold, there were long lines to enter the cinemas. He was surprised that all the lines were to see the same movie. What finally motivated Juan to go into the cinema, even though the movie was in its original version, was that it was about basketball.
THE LEGEND OF TTT RIGA
TTT, abbreviation for the public transport company Tram and Trolley Trust, was the dominant force in the early years of the European Cup Women’s Champion Clubs, today known as Euroleague Women.
In total, since its founding in 1958, the club has won a total of 42 titles in Latvia, and the Euroleague Women title 18 times (16 between 1958 and 1977). Achieving this impressive record requires a combination of tireless work and sustained talent passed down from generation to generation.
When Dzidra Uztupe-Karamiševa, the protagonist of the movie, retired from playing in 1963 with four USSR championships, three Euroleague Women, four FIBA EuroBasket gold medals, and one FIBA World Cup silver, she became the assistant coach of TTT Riga, a position she would hold until 1979.
Her captaincy was inherited by FIBA Hall of Famer Skaidrīte Smildziņa-Budovska, who, during her induction, emphasized that her success was not individual, stating that “great achievements come from discipline, hard work, and self-sacrifice,” and that basketball is a “team game requiring excellent coaches and teammates.”
At a time when no one believed the legacy of TTT Riga’s early pioneers would continue to flourish, a young Uļjana Semjonova joined the team in 1967, at just 15 years old. She would go on to become a FIBA Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant players in international basketball’s history, famously completing 18 seasons of international competition with the USSR without losing a single game.
A film of memory and heritage
Tīklā. TTT leģendas dzimšana tells the moving story of a young woman from Riga during the Soviet occupation. Driven by her passion for basketball and the hope of traveling beyond the Soviet Union to reunite with her refugee brother, she joins a women’s basketball team.
Her personal journey not only challenges the restrictions of the regime but also fuels the rise of a team that would make history in Europe, becoming both a sporting and cultural icon.
The film was developed in close cooperation with basketball historians and players from that era, ensuring an authentic portrayal of everyday life in the 1950s and 1960s.
Hairstyles, uniforms, trophies, playing style, basketballs, courts, and even warm-up exercises have been carefully reconstructed based on meticulous archival work. Scenes such as the locker room one, full of laughter and contraband hairspray, and teammates helping each other craft the iconic high ponytails that became part of the team’s visual identity, are a delight.
A passionate director and a basketball veteran
Dzintars Dreibergs’ work consciously follows the tradition of Latvian basketball cinema, echoing the historical ambition of Dream Team 1935, a movie in which he participated as a basketball expert. Basketball is treated not merely as competition, but as a vehicle through which history, memory, and national identity are transmitted.
“This is a story about resisting fear and about not giving up – inspiring others and strengthening belief in oneself. The birth of TTT, the courage of Dzidra Karamiševa and many others shaped our national spirit and helped maintain hope until Latvia regained independence.”
Juan and his family made the right choice by going into the cinema; their feet rested in a warm place after so much walking through the cobbled pedestrian streets of Riga, and they enjoyed the movie even without being able to understand a single word of the dialogue.
Juan only made one mistake: Tīklā is not simply a basketball movie; it is much more than that. It is a cinematic document that captures how women’s basketball in Latvia became a space of identity, resilience, and silent resistance during the years of Soviet occupation.
It is an invaluable message for the youngest generations, preserving the memory of a team that transformed sporting excellence into quiet defiance and reminding us that even under constraint, basketball can become a powerful expression of identity and freedom. It is pure Cultural Heritage.
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About the FIBA Foundation
The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports, particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
FIBA’s cultural heritage is the heart of the FIBA Foundation’s cultural and historical activities. It is one of the driving forces behind the promotion and dissemination of FIBA’s values.