VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Juancho Hernangomez proved something this summer.

He is a great performer.

When the bright lights are turned out, the cameras start to roll, it's Juancho time!

No matter what the stage, Juancho puts on a show.

What he did in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Final against France, I didn't think he had it in him.

But he hit three-ball after three-ball and scored 27 points to fire Spain to the title.

In a way, it was life imitating art.

Juancho had already caused a buzz this year with his acting.

He had a supporting role in the Adam Sandler film Hustle that was released on Netflix this summer, and Juancho played to good reviews.

Bo Cruz, the name of Juancho’s character, went from street player in Spain to the NBA after being discovered by the scout, Stanley Sugarman, played by Sandler.

The way Juancho played in the EuroBasket Final, it was as if he'd been deeply impacted by Sugarman's famous words directed at him in the film.

"I love this game," Sugarman (Sandler) says to Cruz. "But are you obsessed? Is it all you ever think about? Let’s face it, it's you against you out there. When you walk on that court, you have to think I am the best guy out there. I don't care if LeBron‘s playing. So let me ask you again. Do you love this game?"

In real life at the EuroBasket, Juancho played like he was "the best guy out there."

He was the TCL Player of the Game after his masterclass against France in the Final, an 88-76 victory that gave Spain their fourth EuroBasket crown since 2009.

As a player, it capped what had been a topsy-turvy year in his career. From August 17 through July 26, Juancho has been on the books of five NBA teams: Memphis, Boston, San Antonio, Utah and Toronto.

"It has been a long road, a very hard road with many ups and downs," he said after the EuroBasket, referring not just to last season but his career. "In the end, by working and believing in yourself, everything comes out. It's not been a bed of roses on a personal level, with complicated moments that help to savor these happy moments." 

Maybe Juancho will go on and appear in more films, or maybe he'll concentrate on basketball. He's with the Toronto Raptors now.

What can never be taken away from him is a historical performance in one of the most famous games in Spanish basketball history, and making it all the sweeter is that his brother and Spain teammate, Willy, was named MVP of the EuroBasket.

And if he never appears in another movie, he'll at least have great memories of the one he did have a starring role in. It was a serious commitment, with the filming of his parts in Hustle taking place over two summers.

“It was fun,” he said, explaining that every day of shooting took 12 to 14 hours. "I met a lot of great people. It was a great experience that's going to last forever."

He could say the same thing about his time with Spain at the EuroBasket.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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