Rudy Fernandez Left The NBA In 2012 And Became One Of The Most Successful Players In European History By Winning His 4th Gold Medal At EuroBasket: “I Can’t Describe How I Feel. This Was So Special.”

Rudy Fernandez left the NBA 10 years ago but has gone on to have tremendous success for Spain, and he won his 4th gold medal at EuroBasket on Sunday.

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Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Rudy Fernandez may have failed to make his mark in the NBA, but that didn’t stop him from having an incredible amount of success on the basketball court. A rising star for Joventut in Spain, Fernandez came over to the NBA in 2008 after being selected with the 24th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.

He had a fine rookie season with the Trail Blazers during which he set what was then the record for the most threes in a season by a first-year player with 159. His efforts earned him a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team, but that was as good as it got for the Spaniard, as his career never took off in the NBA. He went back to Spain for a short bit during the lockout in 2011 before returning to the NBA, but after the end of the 2011-12 season, he went back to Spain for good. While success would elude him in the NBA, that wasn’t the case with the Spanish national team, with whom he has enjoyed tremendous success.


Rudy Fernandez’s Incredible Career With Spain

Fernandez is a part of Spain’s golden generation that has dominated Europe over the last decade and they were triumphant yet again in 2022 as they won the gold at EuroBasket. It meant Spain had won 4 of the last 6 editions and only Rudy Fernandez has been present for all 4 of them.

“I can’t describe how I feel. This was so special. This group was so young but they fight in every game and now it’s recognized, this work in all the tournament. I’m so happy, so proud to be a part of this group.”

Fernandez was the veteran presence that this young Spanish side needed. He averaged 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, but the stat sheet doesn’t show his impact off the court. His 4th gold medal also now sees him tied for 2nd all-time in the history of EuroBasket with only Gennadi Volnov from the Soviet Union winning more than him.

To go with his gold medal tally here, Fernandez has also won the gold twice at the FIBA World Cup and he also has 2 silvers to go with a bronze at the Olympics. He has had almost unmatched success on the international stage among Europeans in what has been a remarkable career. On a club level, he has also won the EuroLeague twice with Real Madrid and stated last year that the team can compete in the NBA as well.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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