” He has legendary photos with (Michael) Jordan, that's impressive. » The photos to which Santi Aldama The references are those of his father, Santiago, a member of the Spanish selection in 1992, during the Barcelona Olympic Games.
An Olympics forever marked by the formation and passage of the “Dream Team”. You can participate in a thousand tournaments, but the Games are unique. “, continues the Grizzlies interior to Marca ((taken up by Basketnews).
Like his father at the time, whose team had only won one group match, and largely lost against the Americans (122-81), Santi Aldama is preparing in turn to live his Olympic experience.
” It's hard for me to get used to it, but this moment has finally arrived, what everyone dreams of, and now we have the chance to experience it. I'm really looking forward to it “, says the 23-year-old player, according to whom the experience lived through his father was the most intense of his career.
The podium? A “complicated” objective
” It’s something my dad had a hard time describing. He said the result didn’t matter, it was the Olympic experience that mattered – something he always wished I could have one day, once I told him I wanted to be a basketball player. “, says the Spaniard in an interview for FIBA.
He adds : ” So for me, seeing Spain do well in the Olympics – almost beating the United States twice – is something I'm very proud of, and I'm trying to follow in my father's footsteps. »
Reigning European champions Spain travel to Paris hoping to do much better than the 1992 team. Aiming for a place on the podium? That's what we want, but it's complicated. We're not going to underestimate our opponents. We're all going to compete for our country, we're all going to win, the first goal is to win a medal. That's clear. », says Santi Aldama in conclusion.
