Q&A: Wael Arakji X @FIBAAsiaCup Instagram

DUBAI (United Arab Emirates) - It seems like Lebanon's star Wael Arakji has been playing since forever, but he's still only just 25 years old! He got a chance to sit down and talk live on the @FIBAAsiaCup Instagram account with us and the fans.

Arakji made his first Asia Cup appearance in 2015 at the age of 21. He's recorded 170 points 47 rebounds, and 51 assists so far in his early Asia Cup career.

So, first of all, where are you? What have you been doing?

I'm currently in Dubai, and I'm just chilling. That's basically everything so far. I've been here for around a month and a half. I was playing in Qatar, and I came here for a short vacation, and I got stuck here.

I have some family here. My fiancé lives here, so we've been just chilling most of the time. I am playing video games, playing basketball from time to time in the garden, and spending some quality family time.

A lot of people having some time on their hands off now. One of those guys like your teammate, Ali Haidar, we haven't been able to get him on these chats, but we see him doing a lot of fun stuff on Tiktok. Did you see those? I just want to know how is as a teammate?

He's a very supportive and fun teammate as long as he's not pissed mad. He's fun, but once he's mad, then the monster side of him shows, so this is the scary side of him. But he's a very sweet heart. He's very down to earth guy, a very nice guy. So he is one of my favorite teammates.

So as your favorite teammate, you know which things to avoid not getting him mad, right?

(laughs) Well, I've been getting him mad a lot so far because he changed teams [in the professional league], and we have been beating him every time! We play against each other, so he's getting mad.

OK, well, you're always teammates on the national team! Back in Asia Cup 2015, that was your first time at the age of 21. Like that's a pretty young age to be making a big-time performance in just your first time, how did that feel?

I can remember every second of that day, to be honest! China and Korea were playing before us, and it was a full house. Back then, in China, it was a huge arena. That was the first time I played in such a big arena, and most of the Chinese fans stayed to watch our game because we were playing Chinese Taipei. So it was a packed game. Chinese Taipei were very strong, and we were a very new team, we weren't very strong. We weren't very stable back then. It was very challenging for us because, for most of the players, it was their first Asia Cup.

I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but after I scored the first couple of baskets, made a couple of steals, had a couple of good passes, I felt so confident. I remember I had a very very critical three-pointer and free-throws in that game. It went from there, man. So, I remember that day very well. It was a very special day because I started my career on the national team with a win.

You mentioned that you were nervous in that first game and that you got things going with your scoring, but did you have any senior teammates step in and give you some advice on how to how to go through those emotions?

To be honest, I remember very well that all our starting five, it was their first time playing for the national team. So we were really young back then. We only had maybe Rodrigue Akl was the only veteran player with Jean Abd El Nour and us. Yeah, [Jean] was like 'Come on, guys! Don't be scared, you got this. Feel confident, just give it some time,' and this was the stuff he used to tell us.

So you mentioned a lot of the guys were playing for the first time there. Did you have to go through any rookie hazing from guys like Jean?

No, not really. Jean's not that type of veteran, so I did not really go through that. I only went through that in Riyadi, my team in Lebanon, because maybe I spent four years being the youngest on that team, so it was a pretty long rookie career.

Do you have any cool or fun stories [from them] that you can share on a public forum like this?

(laughs) There aren't stores that I can share, but I used to carry bags and water and get food for the guys. Then drive them around sometimes, if they're lazy. So that was pretty much everything.

You have a big fan here tuning on: Fadi El Khatib showing you some love!

Yo, that's the G.O.A.T. right there! Actually, Fadi never bullied me as a rookie. He only used to kill me when we played 1-on-1, and I remember it, a very funny story. We were playing one time, half-court, 1-on-1. We were playing until five, and I was up 3-0, and I start trash-talking with him. I went back home with a broken tooth and a bloody mouth, so that's a funny story. And I lost 5-3.

So that was in China back in 2015. You've also played in China professionally, and you've also been - well, you're in Dubai right now. You played in the United States. You've gone nearly all over the world in your career. How does it feel that basketball can take you all over the world like this?

Man, it's a blessing. I'm thankful for these opportunities, to be honest. I never imagined myself being able to play almost in 3-4 different countries. I'm really happy about these opportunities, and I'm glad that I was able to take advantage of them. I had a very decent experience in China; I was able to play with Stephon Marbury, a great legend, and Shavlik Randolph. When I played in Qatar, I was able to win the championship there, so I'm happy with all these opportunities. And I hope I have a long career so I have more chances to win more championships and I could just visit more countries maybe in the next few years.

Well, now that you talked about your time in China, playing with Steph: Any fun stories from your playing days in China? Doesn't have to be about Steph in particular, but just some fun stories about playing there.

You watch a couple of players on TV, and you would never imagine to be with on-court or play against them. So when I first played there, every time I used to step on the court, I used to see a player - as I remember against Radulica, the big guy from Serbia. I was like, 'Oh, man. He's tall. I never imagined he was that big on TV, doesn't look like he's this big. Or even Bourousis, the Greek national team captain. So it was like a shot for me to be able to play with and to play against such big profiles.

The league is way different than Lebanon. You know, it's China. It's like the biggest country in Asia. You travel around, we traveled a lot, and there are a lot of fans watching, a lot of high expectations on foreigners, and I was it was my first time playing as a foreigner, I was very young back then. So it was a cool experience, and hopefully, I can repeat it.

Hopefully, we get to see you there again! But in between there, I think you suffered a knee injury?

[Torn] ACL, yeah.

Obviously, it got better, but how did you feel going through that? Not being able to play, what was going through your mind on your way to coming back?

It was exactly after a month from when I came back from China. I was having a great season, and it was a shock for me to stop almost at the end of the season as we're playing the Semi-Finals in Lebanon. I got injured, and my team lost in the Cup Final and the League Final.

So I was a bit devastated and depressed, to be honest, at the beginning of my injury. You know when you first get injured, you can't walk much, you're walking on crutches. You're in so much in pain, but once I started feeling a little bit better, I gained my confidence with time, and you get over this injury after 3-4 months when you see that your knee is much better than before. You're able to work on things you weren't able to work on when you were injured, so I took this injury as just a minor step back for a major comeback.

We have another one of your fans, Karim Zeinoun, coming in to say hi!

(laughs) Yeah, that's the rookie, man. That's the rookie.

Now since he's a rookie, he's a younger guy [on the national team], do you have any hazing plans for him?

No man! Although he's rookie, he's playing like a vet! He played like a veteran at the last [FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers] window. I think - no wait. I don't think, but I'm sure that he has a very bright career. Hopefully, in the next couple of windows, we will even see more amazing stuff from him.

As a guy who played early on with the national team yourself, what advice would you give him as someone who is going through a similar process?

(laughs) I like that a lot of people ask me this question as if I'm like an old guy. I'm still 25!

I've been playing for the national team for the past 6-7 years, man. [So I'd just tell him to] just enjoy every moment, you know. We had a lot of ups and downs with the national team, but I really enjoyed every moment with them. I'm thankful for every game I played with my national team, and alongside every teammate, I've shared and went in battle with.

We lost a lot of games, we were devastated in a couple of championships, but I'm sure in the next couple of years we will have better games and better championships. Hopefully, we will win more games and qualify for the World Cup soon.

[Zeinoun] is commenting with the guitar emoji…

(laughs) He thinks he's Lance Stephenson, man!

OK, now going back to earlier last year, you played in the NBA Summer League. How was that experience?

 

It was crazy, man. That was really crazy. You know, there's a big difference between the level in Asia and America. You're playing at the highest level. It was a very hard experience for me, especially since I had to fly to the States and try out for two days. It was like a 60 player tryout, and I was able to cut. They chose four players; It was me, Finn Delaney, Yudai Baba, and Shane Whittington if I'm not mistaken. So it was a lovely experience for me to train with high-level coaches and high-level players, share the court with them, learn new stuff from them. It was a blessing.

What was the biggest takeaway from your time there like things you learned playing there that has been very helpful with your career afterward?

It's the confidence and the respect they have for players there. The coaches are actually willing to do the impossible to make the players feel comfortable, you know. They give the player everything he needs from A to Z. They just want the players to be happy and to enjoy it. This is, I guess, the major difference between the United States and all the other countries in the world.

Any crazy stories you can share from playing in there?

Besides seeing Luka Doncic play - I remember I was standing next to a guy. He's like he's my height, he was wearing a yellow cap for a while, but I never looked at him. I never looked at his face. I was just playing with my phone and messaging with my friends. Then his phone rings, and he held his head high; it was Jason Kidd!

(laughs) I was like standing next to Jason Kidd for the past five minutes, and I didn't even look at him! I slap myself, man, and like I'm stupid. I didn't also talk to him, so that was a funny story from there.

So, coming back to the Asia Cup in 2017. You're playing for the national team again, but this time it's in Lebanon. How does that feel, representing the country and playing there right on your court?

Lebanese fans are very passionate about the game. It was a full house, almost every game, so it was amazing to be able to play there in front of everyone. Unfortunately, we lost, and we couldn't win the title, but it was a very beautiful experience to everyone, to all players, and the Lebanese people. They were able to watch the national team up close in Lebanon, shared some lovely moments. Hopefully, this can be repeated soon.

After playing in two Asia Cups, what would you say were your most favorite moments so far playing in this competition?

It was just the starting point guard at the national team, having a big responsibility on my shoulders. Actually, it's a beautiful feeling, you know, knowing that I'm a key player for my national team. It's a blessing, and I'm thankful for this. Hopefully, we can have better results in the near future. But basically just playing with the national team, wearing this jersey, having the name Lebanon on it is a beautiful feeling.

We're going back to your stint in the G-League for just a short bit. You mentioned playing with Yudai Baba. Do you have any cool stories about playing with him or just being around him over that short time?

He's a very calm, silent guy. He's one of the top players in Japan. He spoke to me not a long time ago when we beat his team [Alvark Tokyo], and I scored the buzzer-beater against his team at the Asia Champions Cup. He was like, 'You beat my team! You beat my team! That's unfair! I wasn't there!', so I was like, 'Oh, you wanted to stay in the G-League, so that's your fault.'

You've been wearing the number 7 Jersey for forever,  right?

Right. I'm #20 right now, but yes, I was wearing #7 before.

Any story behind those jersey numbers?

I like #7 because I wanted to be like Rony Fahed, the national team point guard, clutch point guard, and clutch shooting for Lebanon. But then we have the rookie that came in the team later, Karim Zeinoun, and he's number 7. He asked me if 'I could wear #7', so is his older brother and the veteran on this team, I gave him #7. I decided just to have a fresh start with the national team and wear #20.

About #20, is there a story behind that one?

Yeah, that's like a personal story, man. Uh, like my fiancé loves #20, so I decided to wear #20 for her.

Now, you've got to play against a lot of really good players throughout your entire career. Who are some of your most favorite players you matched up against?

Hamed Haddadi, of course. I'm happy I was able to kick his [butt]in Lebanon when he came [to play with Champville]. We beat his team 3-1 in the Semi-Final, and he and his team lost. It was him and Fadi, so I was very looking forward to playing against both of them. I was lucky enough - we were lucky enough to beat them.

I wish I played more against the Iranian national team point guard, Madi Kamrani and the Filipino point guard, [Jayson] Castro if I'm not mistaken. These are the matchups I really enjoyed. And honestly, I'm very familiar with his name, but he retired not a long time ago, the Korean national team point guard.

Yang Dong Geun?

Right, yeah. He gave me a very hard time when we first played in 2015. And when we played them in the first game at the Asia Champions Cups, I scored 38 points, and he was the one guarding me, and I had the buzzer-beater. So I was able to talk to him, and he told me, 'I remember you, I remember you, I killed you in 2015, but now you kill me,' and I told him 'Karma, man. I was young back then now you're old, and I'm on fresh' so… (laughs)

Are there any other players you might be looking forward to facing again in the future? Guys who you've seen playing, but you haven't got the chance?

I want to play against China, you know. I know it will be tough, but the best team for China, I would be looking forward to playing against high-caliber players like their players.

Now, we're going to our big question, which we've been doing with all of our guys here on the Instagram Live interviews: Who would be on your All-Time Asia Cup Starting Five with only three players from the same national team?

Sam Daghlas as the point guard. Fadi, for sure, on as a guard. I will go for Samad [Nikkahbahrami] on the three. At the four, I will have Zaid Abbas, and I will have Hamed on the five.

Unless you can play [Yao] Ming and Hamed on the same team, I will pick Yao Ming and have it well that's a medley team, I don't think they can play on 4-5. So, I would have Zaid and Hamed. And - I'm sorry I'm not very familiar with his name - but this Philippines national team point guard, I love him. He's a coach right now -

Jimmy Alapag?

Man, yeah. I love this player, too. But yeah, I will go for Sam, Fadi, Samad, Zaid, and Hamed.

 

Pretty solid starting five! Similar to what Sam had last week. On this team, would you want to be the coach, or would you want to be like the 6^th or 7th man or even the ball-boy?

(quickly answers) I want to play against this team! It's going to be pretty hard, but I love competition. I want to play against this team, that will be fine.

Quick question regarding how you mentioned about wanting to play against China and you played in China professionally: How did it feel - did you ever get to go up against Guo Ailun?

I never was able to play against Guo Ailun, to be honest. Maybe I did in 2015, but I barely played in that game. I only had maybe 20 minutes of playing time, the coach was just rotating and but I never played against him.

But yeah, it will be a very good match up. I believe a very good battle for both of us, and why not? All point guards of China or amazing. They all have great players. The Chinese Federation is the best Federation that takes care of its national team and its players. This is why I love playing against solid teams and teams that take time to prepare. So, this is basically why I want to play against China.

Now that you talked about point guards, there are a lot of point guards that are good in the Asia region, including you, yourself. Some guys are retiring as we mentioned, Yang Dong Geun retiring, Jason Castro is possibly retiring as well. Then there's a generation coming up with you guys fighting for that title as the best point guard. Are you comfortable with saying that you're the best point guard in Asia yet or who else do you see that is in that in that same category?

I don't like to go into debates like this, you know? I believe every point guard has their style. For example, like Japan. The Japanese point guards they're like the typical point guards, the pass-first point guards. I'm much of a more of a scoring point guard, Guo is more of a scoring point guard. For Korea, man, they're like pass-first point guards with great shots. Every point guard in Asia has its style, so you can't just say this point guard is better than this point guard.

We're all great, man. There are a lot of great talents in Asia, and I believe we need to give like more time in these windows to see more. Like you can see, there were a lot of easy games, the beginning windows so you couldn't see much of all the point guards. Maybe when there are tough teams playing games against each other, you can just see who's better than who and in the matchups.

A lot of good stuff here from you. A lot of fans are always coming in to show you some love, whether it's in our posts or even this live feed. What can you just say about how the fans have showered with this affection throughout your entire career?

I love my fans, man. They supported me even when I was injured. They believed in me, and they believed that I would come back even stronger. So I want to thank all the fans that stood next to me. I still have a long career. Hopefully, I can get better year by year, and I can make them happier by year. They have a special place in my heart, and without them, I wouldn't be the person I am right now.

Before we leave, are there any skills that you have been practicing on - not on the basketball court - like some hobbies and stuff you been doing during this time?

I've been cooking a lot. My fiancé made me cut more than six onions today, so I've been crying for the past two hours. I've been gaming most of the time. I've been playing Call of Duty, most of the time, so I'm ready to play against you if you play this game. Anytime you want.

Just some final thoughts about the Asia Cup, about basketball, anything you want to say before we end this.

Hopefully, we go back to normal, and all countries go back to normal. [Hopefully] things get better in all our countries, we go back to competing, Asia Cup starts again, we start seeing our fans back on the court, and we can enjoy the game still. For now, I hope everyone is safe and at home. Thank god, things are getting better, and a couple of countries like Lebanon, things are moving forwards. Hopefully, in other countries, too. I see China's almost back to normal, and I was reading the news, Korea almost is back to normal as well. So all countries will be the same soon, and basketball will be back.

FIBA