By It’s not just his ball skills that Spanish basketball player Rudy Fernandez inherited from his parents, it’s also his sense of teamwork. His mum Maite Farres explains how his career has always been a family effort.
“We always used to watch his father play basketball and one time, Rudy was crawling and his sister threw a ball to him and he stood up and began walking onto the basketball court.”
Rudy’s skill at the game was clear and a coach correctly guessed he had a basketball-playing dad because what he was doing was “innate, it couldn’t be taught”.
But rather than wanting to hog the ball, Rudy’s also grown up as a true team player, happiest making assists and passing the ball to get his team into winning position. He helped Spain win silver at the Beijing Olympics, “but it tasted like gold,” smiles his mum.
“I think he likes being part of a team and making assists because we have always worked as a team,” Maite explains. “I remember whenever there was a decision about anything, what team he would go to we’d put five points for the city, five for the weather… and whichever had the most points is the place he’d go, and we always did this together.”
Rudy agrees. “The player I am is thanks to my mother because you have to bring things from your everyday life into the basketball court.
“I prefer to pass the ball so that my teammate is happy – and be a good team player so I can help win titles. My family really instilled this in me.”
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