He has been one of the names of the summer for his departure from the NBA after seven seasons and for his surprising signing for Barça, when he is a player who was born and played in Madrid and the white club had the right of first refusal, which he did not choose for matching the Barça offer. And he will be one of the names in the basketball World Cup that opens this Saturday for the team against the Ivory Coast (8:30 p.m., TVE1), which Scariolo’s team attends as world champion, and the 29-year-old center from Madrid as one of the team leaders, a label that has been earned with the title of Eurobasket MVP last year. In a process matured over time, the Hernangómez have taken over from the Gasols as references for the squad.
It is difficult not to consider big things in the World Cup that is about to start when Spain arrives as world champion, European champion and number one in the ranking.
Well, I think there is no need to put pressure. I think we have experience from recent years that should serve us well. We have to trust our work. Trust what Sergio asks of us. The goal, as always, is to reach the top. We don’t have the super talent we had ten years ago. But we are fighters, warriors, we give our all, we are not afraid of anyone, and above all I believe that as a unit and as a team there is no one better than us. We have to take advantage of that strength as a group that we have, the family that we are, to compete. And then the competition will tell us if we are higher or lower.
They surprised everyone at the World Cup two years ago and returned to repeat the title a year ago at the Eurobasket. Do you dream of breaking the forecasts again?
We do not want to set goals or say how far we can go. Let’s give it our all. What will happen? What is certain is that we are not going to regret it, it is for having left our skin, for having done the right thing. Hopefully where we get to is as high as possible.
Is there more pressure to be the defending champion?
We are going with a lot of humility, knowing that we will have to do our best, in line with the last two championships, in which we did very well. You have to have a calm mind and enjoy game by game, very much in line with Cholo Simeone. No one believed that we could get past the quarterfinals in the last two dates and we showed that with work and chemistry you can achieve anything. It’s even better when you’re not the favorite because a team works harder when no one bets on it.
We don’t want to set goals or say how far we can go, but we are going to leave our skin”
This team incorporates the base of the Eurobasket and adds a new talent like Santi Aldama, who can be a great help inside.
Santi is a very young boy, who really wanted to come to the national team and it will be very good for us. He arrives with a lot of desire and with a lot of enthusiasm and is going to allow us to add size to the team.
The selection continues with its renewal, but maintains some of the references of its best period: Llull, Rudy, Claver…
The old guard cannot be missing. It is a guarantee of the group’s chemistry, of the family’s DNA. They learned it from the previous ones and they taught it to us and now we are trying to pass it on to the younger ones who come. Having Rudy, Llull or Claver is a source of pride. His ability to transmit values on and off the track is one of the keys to the selection.
Barcelona have valued me, they are giving me a project, an opportunity and I really want to go for it.”
The United States arrives with a team without great stars. You who know them well, do you see them as the team to beat?
For me if. Definitely. They are the favourites. They are always there. But hey, in the end look what happened in the last World Cup. In a tournament like this, you risk everything in one game, that day you have to play very well and it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. So we’ll see. I think that is what is different about American basketball and what is beautiful and exciting about European basketball: playing as a team, playing intelligence, camaraderie, having a winning team like the one that surrounds the players: coaches, physios, props. And in that I think that in Spain we are the best. It was seen in the European and in the World Cup, which is not a matter of having one star, two or three. What matters is the group.
Let’s talk about you. After seven seasons in the NBA, he returns to Europe and does so with Barça.
Sounds exciting and exciting to me. Going back to Spain, home, is a challenge and I do it to a club that has shown me affection. I really want to have a good World Cup, and then put myself under the orders of Roger Grimau and meet my new teammates.
Did Navarro have a hard time convincing you to accept the offer?
I think I’ve said it. He came looking for an opportunity to play basketball. I wanted to do it in Spain and be important, especially at the moment in my career in which I am. I want to take advantage of these years because I feel that I am reaching my best moment. I had offers from abroad and to continue in the NBA, but I wanted to be at home, close to my family and Barcelona showed great interest from day one, so it’s an opportunity for both of us to be able to play together.
I want to take advantage of these years because I feel that I am reaching my best moment. I want to fight for titles, feel that fire inside”
Did your Real Madrid past weigh in your decision?
No, in the end, they are opportunities. That is this job. In the end, the athlete’s career is very short and I wanted to play. I think I haven’t taken advantage of my basketball virtues for too long, without enjoying playing this sport. Obviously, what can I say about Madrid? I am from Madrid. I’m not going to deny it. I am very grateful to Real Madrid for giving me the opportunity to make my debut in the ACB, in the Euroleague and to be a youth player. But also Cajasol Sevilla, the Knicks, Charlotte and New Orleans, which are the NBA teams that have given me a chance. All those teams have made me the player I am now, the person I am. Madrid had the right of first refusal and did not go after him. And Barcelona have valued me, they are giving me a project, an opportunity and I really want to go for it. I think it’s the perfect moment in my career to be able to play and enjoy Barcelona.
Is your challenge this year to show that you can be differential in Europe?
Well, the most immediate thing is to face this tournament with the national team in order to win the World Cup or be as good as possible and qualify for the Games. And then face the Barcelona season to fight for each title and try to adapt the same to the European game that is different, I’ve been in the NBA for 7 years now. And above all enjoy. I feel very comfortable playing here in Europe with the national team, especially physically, but talking a lot with Scariolo, talking with teammates, the Euroleague is very hard, a lot of travel, the ACB is very hard, playing every game for something is something that I was passionate about competing at the end. If you are in the NBA, you only have one option, which is to enter the play-offs. And what I want is to fight for titles, win, compete. Feeling that fire inside and I wanted to go back. The challenge is to win the Euroleague, I don’t have any and that’s what I have in my head.