At the microphone of his podcast The old man & the Three, JJ Redick commented on the results of the World Cup, and the failure of the United States. The former Magic and Clippers shooter believes that there are still lessons to be learned from this disappointment, and he recalled that foreign players transcend themselves when they play for their country, to the point of transforming into… Michael Jordan . Which is not necessarily the case for American players.
“I saw the debate on Twitter about American players playing in the World Cup,” Redick begins. “When non-American players play for their national team, they become Michael Jordan. Think about…Luis Scola. He’s a very good NBA player, but he was incredible when he played for Argentina.”
“Navarro?” When he played for Spain, he became that damn Michael Jordan! »
For Redick, there has been no shortage of examples in recent years, whether at the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
“Evan Fournier. He’s been a very good NBA player for several years, but during previous World Cups and the Olympics, it was Michael Jordan! Patty Mills (Australia) has killed us several times in the past. Dennis Schroder this year… Let’s take Spain. Rudy Fernandez, a solid NBA player. Juan Carlos Navarro, who only played here one year my first year and averaged 11 points for Memphis. When he played for Spain, he became that damn Michael Jordan! »
For Redick, it is a mistake to criticize American players because they do not occupy the same role as in clubs.
“That’s why I find it ridiculous to criticize our players” he concludes. “You have a role on the Knicks or the Pacers, and whatever the role, you’re a star. We play for you, you have the ball in hand… In the national team, you are asked to sacrifice yourself. Let’s move on to the opposite case: you are a replacement point guard or shooter in the NBA, and in the national team, all the systems are for you. Obviously, we are more motivated by this role. »
