MONTEVIDEO (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) - His history with the Uruguayan Team began in 2001. He defended the light blue uniform until 2014, and in June 2015 he announced his definitive retirement from the national team.

This FIBA AmeriCup 2017 asks Leandro García Morales to play another role: as a sports commenter for DIRECTV. And yet, he never forgets his love for the jersey: “It’s very hard to watch Uruguay and comment the games distantly. On many occasions, you see the game as a fan and not so much as a sportscaster. Anyway, this is great and it’s a good opportunity that I enjoy, and even more so when the team wins, just like it happened at the game against Dominican Republic.”

Regarding this first commenting experience, he said: “It’s quite fun. To see a basketball game and talk about one likes the most is always great.” The reasons why he accepted to analyze the games are simple: “To begin this new stage, I took advantage of the opportunity brought by the fact that I wasn't playing, and that the series was being held at Montevideo.”

For Leandro, it’s easy to make the winning shots, he's done so throughout his entire career. But at this new stage in his life, there are things that he wants to learn: “It's hard to know when to go in and speak. Things happen in the game and, even though my colleagues comment on them, I must analyze what's going on. It seems easy when you're outside the court. Anything that one says that might or might not happen doesn't change the game’s result, so it’s not a problem.”

The last time Uruguay were hosts, in 2013, García Morales was part of the squad that took home the South American bronze. Now, he watches from the other side: “People want to see results, and that’s why winning is always good. I hope that when they face United States the stadium sells out and they can command the respect and impose the pressure that the locals always exert.”

FIBA