Like Giannis Antetokounmpo in Greece, Rudy Fernandez shed a few tears after Spain's victory in Valencia, which sent his team to the Olympics. However, the Roja winger is a regular, as he will be playing in his sixth Olympic Games, a record for a basketball player…
“It's an incredible feeling to be able to experience an Olympic Games again. The work is paying off. We believed, we played well and we were very aggressive. I thank the people of Valencia for their support and for pushing us to participate in the Olympic Games again.”, he explained after the match.
For Rudy Fernandez, the Lille/Paris Olympic Games will be special because it will be his very last competition, the Real Madrid player having announced that he would be retiring immediately afterwards.
And this end of career is the one he had promised to his father, who died two years ago.
“I have to enjoy these Olympics. I promised my father that when he died.”
“I have to enjoy these Olympics. I promised my father when he passed away, and I am very satisfied with all the work I have done and to continue enjoying this journey with the Familia.”
Because even if his role has necessarily reduced over the years (even if he was still useful against the Bahamas with 9 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 interceptions in 20 minutes), Rudy Fernandez remains the guarantor of the Roja's state of mind, while he can highlight his two world champion titles (2006 and 2019), his four European champion titles (2009, 2011, 2015 and 2022) and his two Olympic silver medals (2008 and 2012).
“That’s the spirit of the Familia, the spirit that helps us grow. I’ve been playing for the national team for 20 years, and that’s what our veterans have taught us. Today, as veterans, we try to instill that commitment in the younger players, emphasizing the importance of the Familia. Whether we have stars or not, if we stick together and stand up for our values, we usually achieve great things.”
This will already be very useful in Group A, with a first match on July 27 against Australia, a second on July 30 against Greece, and a final one on August 2 against Canada…
The emotion of Rudy Fernandez that he will have seen when playing in the 6th grade pic.twitter.com/YGUY1XWy1z
— Pasion Basket (@PasionBasketNBA) July 7, 2024
