The power forward sat down with Geoff Gillingham at the Greens’ Final Four media day
Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos: ‘Berlin brings back good memories’
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He may be in his debut Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, but Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is already getting ready to compete in his first Final Four.
The Greens reached the Final Four for the first time in 12 years after defeating Maccabi Playtikq Tel Aviv 3-2 in a thrilling playoff series. The scenes at OAKA afterward are something Juancho will never forget.
“All of OAKA was amazing,” Juancho tells Euroleague.net’s Geoff Gillingham. “It was one of the best experiences in my life. We got the win and it was a really happy moment.”
Next week will see the 28-year-old head to Berlin, where he starred with the Spanish national team in the knockout stages of EuroBasket 2022. Notably, Juancho netted 27 points in the championship game as Spain defeated France to become European champions.
“Berlin brings back good memories,” Juancho comments. “I [hope] we feel the same, getting the title. It’s going to be really hard, we’ve got to work really hard for that. We deserve to win, we’re going to fight for the win, and we are pretty confident.”
Juancho is a basketball star who is known across the globe, but his stardom went to another level after appearing in the hit movie “Hustle” alongside Adam Sandler and a number of NBA stars. The Panathinaikos forward even revealed that Sandler almost came to Game 5 against Maccabi and could be present at the Final Four in Berlin.
“I’m still talking with Adam Sandler and he keeps in touch every couple of weeks,” Juancho says. “We’re talking, and he follows the EuroLeague.
“He was close to coming for Game 5 [against Maccabi], I told him to - I think he was in London or Germany doing some movie. I will tell him he can come to the Final Four, but for sure if we win, he will be happy for me.”