Andrés Nocioni shares UNTOLD STORIES of Derrick Rose, Manu Ginobili & playing with the Chicago Bulls

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Andrés, I brought you here
to make our dream of talking about
your time with the Bulls come true. We will review everything. Great. How are you? Are you ready? Germán, I made it to Chicago. I made it to the Chicago Bulls. Yes, I’m ready to recall a few memories. Do you consider
your memory is working fine? Yes. It’s quite fresh. Good. The first thing we will see is your preseason. -The preseason games.
-My beginnings. Exactly. -Sure.
-We will stop there so you can tell me
about your entrance. -Okay, fine.
-Good. Against LeBron. Yes. A preseason friendly. For me, it was the first game… LeBron’s first NBA game? -No, LeBron was already there a year ago.
-Okay. But… Look, that was good. -Strong.
-I could reach the hoop. Yeah. What do you remember about your entrance? You told me about it sometime, but I’m not sure if you publicly spoke
about you leaving Baskonia -and how problematic it was.
-Right. No, it wasn’t problematic. The thing is that I had
a very big release clause. Right. Chicago contacted me. Baskonia was… kind of negotiating with Real Madrid. At that time, I didn’t want that. So when Chicago became a possibility, I decided to go and see. I just wanted to see. To meet everyone. To meet everyone. No English, right? No. Just a little bit. I arrived to Chicago and, to be honest,
the NBA completely got me. Did they welcome you?
Did they show you around? Limousine. Limousine. I arrived by limousine. I toured the entire city, obviously. Then we went to the Berto Center, where they used to train. There I met John Paxson
and Scott Skiles. We started talking
and we had to negotiate at some point. -Right.
-And it wasn’t easy. Did you already have an American agent? I had an American agent
as an associate of the Argentinian one, -Claudio Villanueva.
-Good. How was it resolved? It got resolved pretty easily. We spoke with Querejeta,
a great negotiator. -A European guy
-Yes. who was always very good at that. As he knew
Real Madrid was interested in me, he asked for the whole clause. Chicago made an offer
that wasn’t good enough for me. -I had to…
-Leave. To wait one more year. There was one year left
in my contract with Baskonia. -At one point, I thought, well…
-I’m staying. After we negotiated. I remember that scene pretty well,
because I was sitting like this with Claudio Villanueva,
my Argentinian agent. -He doesn’t speak English.
-Right. -He’s worse than me. Not a word.
-No English. -Suddenly, we saw John Paxson
-So South Americans. with the treasurer of the team, -who was in charge…
-Discussing. …of deciding which offer
would make me pay the whole clause. And… it was actually really funny to see John Paxson doing this. And the other guy was like:
“It doesn’t work for me.” Claudio Villanueva and me
wanted to know what they were saying. Claudio said he didn’t know. -They were probably negotiating.
-So awkward. Suddenly, they shook hands. When that happened, Claudio looked at me and said:
“I think you’re playing in Chicago.” Awesome. Awesome. They had to make a better offer
for me to pay from my pocket the clause that belonged to Baskonia. And why did you choose number five? For no special reason. In the case of the Argentinian
national team, 13 was the only number left. -That’s what I got.
-Oh. -So…
-During all your career, was it always like this? Have you never cared about the number? I just liked lower numbers. I liked five, six, -seven.
-But those numbers are usually given
to very talented players. I was a beginner, but my number… You were ambitious. -Let’s…
-Well, my first ambition was playing like Manu.
What are you gonna do? .Right.
-I wanted to compete with him. -But then…
-That’s fine. It wasn’t possible. These are preseason games. Yes. Othella Harrington. Great player, great person,
an amazing left hand. At what moment… During preseason games, had you already considered
you might be a good fit? Look, I was very lucky in Chicago
thanks to my coach. Thanks to Scott Skiles.
He took a chance on me. John Paxson took a chance on me too. Because… it wasn’t easy to put me on a team without speaking a single word in English. I didn’t understand
what the coach wanted to do or say. Chicago hired me an English teacher
to practice with after every training. Yes. Every day I stayed there
for about an hour… Blackboard and all that? -What?
-Did she use a blackboard? Of course. Right there at Berto Center. After my training, I had English classes
with my private tutor. I was treated like a child. Unbelievable. “This color is red.” -Exactly.
-“Blue.” So… I also had a translator. Fortunately, I was able
to dispense with the translator. I didn’t like it. Why? Because Scott Skiles
would suddenly stop training and ask “Nocioni’s translator” to come. And then… A guy would come, who,
unfortunately, wasn’t a translator. He spoke Spanish. He was from Mexico.
His family was Mexican. And I didn’t understand him so much. It was hard, you know? He didn’t speak… a very clear Spanish, let’s say. Did Scott Skiles used to get mad at you failing to communicate
with each other? No, he laughed a lot. Many times… he stopped training and made jokes. He would say something like:
“Okay, let’s talk slowly. So Noc… can understand us.” Well, it was funny at first. I have to admit that we had
a very committed coach, Paxson who was very committed too, -a lot of rookies in the team.
-Right, that’s important. No stars. We were all trying to find our place. Even Eddy Curry. Tyson Chandler. We also had some veterans -like Othella,
-Othella. like Antonio Davis. They were veterans, but very nice ones. -Good.
-[Eric] Piatkowski. Very easygoing veterans. I mean they were very open-minded. They weren’t conservative. Okay, let’s see
some pictures of your debut. The amount of shots you took here was… -Excessive.
-Inexplicable. -So disrespectful to your teammates
-So disrespectful. -and to the franchise.
-Yes, yes. Honestly, during that game… -I gave it all.
-But… But what happened? Were you too excited or what, dude? It’s rare to take 20 shots in a NBA debut. Yes, I took almost 20 shots
plus the percentages. A lot of energy and strength. But… it was a very good game. You were 25 points down.
I didn’t remember that. But then I think we managed
to make it a close game. It was a close game. I got into a lot of fights
with Jefferson at that time. Richard Jefferson. But… -The line…
-I have never been the type of guy who joins a team and is shy… -Good, good.
-…while playing. Look, it was a one-point game. To be honest… I thought… I had to take responsibility
and we had to win. That was it.
I didn’t give it too much thought. I went there to play. To beat everyone. I didn’t speak any English. That keeps surprising me. Wait, this is another one. Was the three-point line hard? Yes, very hard. Very hard.
Actually, during my first year, one of… my major problems was the outside shot. During second season, when I left and I started thinking
about next season, Scott Skiles met me
and the rest of the players. He confirmed I was staying on the team. He spoke about my attitude,
my effort, my hard work, and so on. But he said it was mandatory
for me to improve my shot. That summer I tortured myself. How? I spoke with Ron Adams,
who was the assistant at the time. He won a ring with Golden State later. -Okay.
-He is… He is a very smart guy
and was of great help. He did all this work… He studied me, recorded me,
worked with me day by day. I would say he did a very thorough job to improve my technique in an amazing way. -Good.
-I took it very seriously. I arrived a month and a half
before preseason. -Oh, you were very focused, Andrecito.
-Yes. And fat. I was fat. Fat? Yes, because it was the first time
I had had vacations. I had never had vacations before.
Every time I left a team, -I joined the Argentinian national team.
-Right. They said to me they didn’t want me to do a thing. I truly followed their instructions. A barbecue… I did nothing. I spent two months… -eating, hanging out with my friends.
-Chilling. I was calmed and relaxed. And I arrived fat. So they put me on a diet
and made me practice my shot. Playoff debut against Wizards. This was an amazing game too. I was way better by then. Yes, I know. You were almost… maybe not a leader,
but you had influence on the team. Yes. I had influence
mostly thanks to my attitude. I think I gained respect and could communicate with my teammates
because of how I played. Right. Everyone knew I took it really seriously. I wasn’t playing around. I played hard. They wanted me on their team. I think that’s how I earned my place. Not to mention the coach
and the people supporting me. During this game,
everything came together. I played with a lot of… energy and enthusiasm. But everything came together. I got a lot of rebounds. A lot of strength. You can see right there I was speaking. -I was involved.
-That’s true. Everything had changed.
It was a different… Did you speak a little English by then? Yes, I could communicate. I learned how to speak pretty well. Pretty well… I heard you and you speak well, dude. It was acceptable within a few months. I think it was because I felt… the need, you know? -When you need it… Yes.
-You were desperate. Did it affect your routine? -To order food, to do anything…
-Absolutely. Everything I did in the street
was handled by my American agent. -Good.
-He spoke Spanish very well. He was in charge of everything. In fact, he even
hung the curtains in my house. Oh my God. -There was nothing he couldn’t handle.
-Nothing. He was the best. Anyway, big debut. -The series wasn’t good. We lost.
-No, we lost. We should have won. I think the problem was our inexperience. -Yes, maybe.
-We were young. They had [Antawn] Jamison and [GIlbert] Arenas. -Jamison.
-Jamison. -And I think Butler too.
-Butler too. They had more experience. Yeah. I think [Brendan] Haywood was there too. -Haywood.
-He was good. What a memory, dude. Yes. I think they beat us
because they were veterans, -Yes.
-not because they were better. -You had a fight with Arenas.
-Arenas. Yes, he was very strong back then. A great figure. Yes, he was… He changed over time, you know? Gilbert. I have here your maximum number of points. -Okay.
-31 points. -Do you remember?
-Hornets. Yes. -An away game.
-Oklahoma. This was after Katrina, right? -Right. We were in Oklahoma
-That’s what I recall. because this was right after Katrina. Oklahoma took New Orleans. -That’s true.
-And they hosted them for a whole year, I think. After that, the NBA
was in debt with Oklahoma. -They brought the City Thunder to Oklahoma.
-They… -They gave the city… Exactly.
-Seattle. The NBA opened a franchise
and gave it to the city. -Chris Paul.
-Right. I don’t remember much about the game. I do remember I did really good. I remember Chris Paul with Tyson Chandler -at that moment.
-And [David] West. And West. A very good team. This game wasn’t easy. They weren’t among the best ones
in the West, -but they were very competitive.
-Yes, yes. A solid team. During that season,
I improved my outside shot a lot. A lot. Most of the season, I was one of the best
three-point shooters of the NBA. Wow! So my performance had changed, you know? I had many resources. It was my best moment. Was this your best year? For me it was… a season… that changed before and after the ball. -Right.
-You can pause it if you want. The ball was changed in this season. -Okay.
-We played with a synthetic ball. For me, that was amazing. It was the best ball I had ever touched. Which was the difference? -Was it more…?
-It was a rubber, synthetic ball. But what was the issue? I didn’t touch it so much.
You’re looking on the screen… -Yes.
-…what happened when someone gave it to me. -I shot it.
-You got it and shot it. Or made the play. -I wasn’t a talented dribbler.
-A dribbler. That ball cut our fingers a lot. I don’t know why. Steve Nash and several NBA stars -complained about this.
-Really? They said the ball bounced differently. They felt the bouncing wasn’t the same. Wow. So they organized a mid-season meeting with all the players,
and the ball was changed. Until that moment, my three-point shooting percentages
were among the best ones in the NBA. If I wasn’t the best one,
I was pretty close. And after that it all went down. -So the change had a negative effect.
-Yes, it affected me. -It affected me.
-Was it still Spalding? Of course, the same company continued, but we changed the ball
for the old leather one. -Oh.
-So… When we returned to using leather balls,
it happened again. -I don’t know if it was my head…
-It was your head. -Do you remember you had the same issue
-Yes. -at FIBA?
-Yes, I struggled a lot when they changed the ball. I think it was my head but also that I liked synthetic balls -Right.
-I liked their grip. When I grabbed it,
I felt I could hold it well. I couldn’t hold
the NBA leather ball like that. -Right.
-My hands are not that big, despite my height. Jalen Rose. Yes. Was Jalen Rose already there? He was on the bench. Oh, you meant the player. You caught the ball and shot it. -Every ball you caught, you shot it.
-Because I played… During my second year… You can pause it again. My role during my second year
in Chicago changed because Scott Skiles had a huge problem. Which was the problem? That I played
in the same position as Luol Deng. That was a problem for him. He wanted both of us. -Right.
-We were both part of the rotation. So he said to me: “Look, Chapu.
You will start playing more as the four because I need… -Luol Deng to play with you.
-Luol Deng. We need both of you playing.” In the first year,
I alternated a lot with Luol Deng. He would play 25 minutes
and I would play the rest. -Something like that.
-Right. We played together a little bit though. My role changed in the second year. I started in the new era
of the shooting power forwards. Did it start then? The shooting power-forwards.
There was more spacing. That was convenient for you. That change was good for me. But it was hard on the defense. -Especially against Detroit, for instance.
-Why? Did they post up against you? -I had to defend Rasheed Wallace.
-It was a more powerful team. -Rasheed Wallace.
-He would laugh at me the whole game. -What did he say?
-The whole game. He would constantly look at Scott Skiles. He posted up, did a shoulder fake,
turned around, and that was it. -He would…
-Did he look at…? He looked at Scott Skiles and said: -“He is too little.”
-Oh my God. Didn’t you…? No, just a little, but… -It wasn’t enough.
-It wasn’t enough. Violence isn’t enough sometimes. You have no idea how he would laugh at me. I got very frustrated
playing against Rasheed Wallace. -He was very talented.
-Yes. He constantly talked smack to me. It was really hard for me
to play against Paul Pierce too. -And against Glen Davis.
-But… -He…
-Glen Davis? He was a lethal point-guard. Having both Paul Pierce
and Glen Devis in Boston at that time… He was from the hood. His game was… -Very streetwise.
-Yes, exactly. -Yeah, from Rucker Park.
-Very spicy. A lot of trash talking. -And a lot of…
-Did you understand? Because otherwise… At some point I did. They asked who had
the shortest shorts on the bench. -What a jerk.
-The NBA had a rule at that time that prohibited us
from using pants longer than this. Right, you used wide pants back then. I chose a very small size of short. “Who have the shortest shorts in the NBA?” And Paul Pierce screamed: “Noc!” He totally mocked you. Him? Yes. -I was… Yes.
-Did you say something back? I laughed with them. I had no problem with that. I didn’t mind it at all. My shot had gotten a lot better
and the court really opened up. I could penetrate. -I’m playing as the four, see?
-Yes. See how open I am? That’s the change I’m referring to. There I’m playing with… with Tyrus Allen. No. -What was his name?
-Tyrus Thomas? Tyrus Thomas. Let’s drink mate. With Tyrus Thomas, -I started playing more as the three.
-As a three. I was relegated a little more. Chicago made a risky bet. That’s when Ben Wallace arrived, right? Yes, Ben Wallace arrived too. I think he arrived that same year. And that was the year we made it
to the second round of playoffs. -Right.
-During this process… -this growth process…
-You were on the right track. We were on the right track
to reach the conference finals. And what changed that? They grew apart a little bit. For the NBA, Scott Skiles was a tough coach. He wasn’t as recognized as in Europe. For me, he was a softie. -He wasn’t tough.
-Of course, totally. He was a softie,
but the NBA didn’t think that way. He used to train a lot. He punished, he… He… I don’t know. -We lost and we had to train the next day.
-Right. -Yes, something not usual in the NBA.
-The NBA wasn’t used to it. All-Star Game, 2006. 2006. I played that game by accident. Okafor was supposed to play. Emeka Okafor. Exactly. The problem was that… I should have played on the Rookie team. They didn’t dare to take me, because there were Ben Gordon,
Luol Deng, and I think Chris Duhon too. It was too much. -All the Baby Bulls together.
-Right. In the second year, when [Emeka] Okafor
dropped out of the All-Star game, they put me in instead. I was playing really well, obviously. I exceed my first season’s performance. The second one was way better. They gave me that opportunity. I was lucky. So I got in. Danny Granger. The Baby Bulls concept
was still present in the second year? -No, no.
-It was very present. No, we already had… different expectations, different ideas. Bogut. Anyway, the best season
was the one with the Baby Bulls. It was our best record. Right. In the second year, it was harder to get… -there.
-That’s when you got injured? -Or was it in the third year?
-The third year. In the third year I got injured
and had to renew my contract. It was hard to make it
to the playoffs in the second year. We made it. We played very well
in that series against Miami. -Right. Miami was the champion.
-Yes. -We lost.
-Yes. We lost four to two. We played very well in that series.
I know I did. Honestly, I was pretty good
at the away game too. It’s interesting… -I enjoyed it.
-Deron Williams. -I enjoyed it a lot.
-Where was it? -It was in Houston.
-Houston. I went there with my wife and my family. Did you already have Laureano and Benicio?
Or Benicio…? No, I only had Laureano at that time. I remember I also went
with my brother-in-law. It was fun. It was an enjoyable weekend. I didn’t know the players really well. -So, I had the chance to…
-And did you…? Did you talk to them
or were you a little shy? No, I was shy. I talked to Shaquille O’Neal a little. Really? He hated me,
because I defended [Dwyane] Wade. -So I used to punish Wade.
-Yes, yes. And… Shaquille was in charge
of getting the defense out of Wade’s way. He was going at me all game. -How painful is a Shaquille O’Neal foul?
-Very painful. My tactic during that series was being in charge
of drawing fouls to Shaquille O’Neal. -Fouls?
-So every time I saw the paint, -they drove me to an early grave.
-Yes. Straight to the cemetery, dude. I had to attack him several times
when dribbling to the hoop to draw him fouls. As Shaquille O’Neal physically punished me,
I usually drew him a lot of fouls. -But… Well, that must be hard.
-Yes. Did he touch you here? Or where? No, he put his body on top of you
and made you bounce like hell. He is the most intimidating player
I’ve ever seen. I have no doubts.
Shaquille O’Neal was for me… Look. -Look, you were shaved.
-I was shaved. Not usual for me. And with a haircut. My haircuts have a meaning
in my career in the NBA. Tell me. -I used to go to any hair salon I found.
-Okay. -In America, they are usually chain stores.
-Right. -You never knew who would cut your hair.
-Right. That haircut was awful. It was fine. Very clean. It was awful. I didn’t like it. So eventually I started to let my hair grow. That’s when the long hair is born.
Your warrior version. My hair was a little long the first year. Then I changed it because I wanted
to look more serious and pretty. And eventually I let it grow. -You didn’t give a s—-.
-Total chaos. I couldn’t find a hairdresser -that I liked.
-Did you exchange a few words
with Shaquille that day? -Yes, I said hi. No, nothing important.
-Nothing important. It’s something. I didn’t see so many big stars
that day though. You know how they are. -Maybe they…
-They arrive… They arrive directly to the game. They do their own thing. They do their own thing. Watching the All-Star was incredible. I enjoyed it too. It is a special event. -Yes.
-I had a fair game. I think I scored eight points. I have another story to tell. Some Rookies there got mad at me. Why? For being violent? No… Yes. In general, these games… They aren’t serious. Exactly, it’s for fun. I’m not used to not taking it seriously. I drew two charges in this game. Very bad. Bad attitude. An attitude completely… I drew one or two, I don’t remember. It is what it is. Was that upsetting? I was very much hated
on the court because of that. According to the rules of the NBA, -I was very physical.
-Spicy. -Yes, I remember that too.
-Very physical. In my first year, the refs would let me. They gave me the benefit of the doubt. I was suspended for one game due to an improper use of the elbow
with Prince while playing against Detroit. Tayshaun Prince. Tayshaun Prince. Larry Brown complained
and I was suspended for one game. I believe that was in Washington. The rules were more strict by then. I couldn’t play so physically. But what happened in the first year? Was more touching allowed than in Europe? Yes, more contact was allowed. There were more charges. -And you could mask them a bit more.
-Right. -A bit immature on their part, right?
-Yes, yes. Generally, those moves
were introduced by Europeans, -Right.
-rather than by the NBA players. In a nutshell, the game… It was nothing. …was good and entertaining. I enjoyed it. It was a pleasure
to participate in such a game. Even though I played mostly by accident. If I think about it over the years,
it’s huge, you know? -Of course, dude.
-I have a ball. For example, that colored ball over there. They gave it to you. -See my shot? Yeah.
-That was your shot. A two-point shot. Exactly. Three-point shots
weren’t so common back then. Right. That shot doesn’t exist nowadays. Totally, it hardly exists. A great game against the Lakers. I was on fire in this game. No one could stop me. Thirty points. -November 19th, 2006.
-I really felt this game. We were playing
against the champions, a tough team. -Kobe.
-Yes. At one point during the game,
Kobe was defending me, and I was there. and I was there, you know? You were on fire. You see my follow through, right? -Very impressive.
-My hand was pretty high. Very empowered. It was a great move. At one moment, Kobe was defending me
while I was moving all over the place. So Phil Jackson said: “Hey, Kobe.
Are you going to defend eventually?” -I think [Luke] Walton is defending me too.
-Yes. -Walton. Luke Walton.
-Walton. Luke Walton. Lamar Odom was defending me too. So at some point he started asking:
“Are you defending or not?” And he answered: “It’s Noc.” -Meaning like… “He is Nocioni.”
-“He’s not that good.” It was awesome, trust me. -And what did you do?
-What would I do? -We’re talking about Phil Jackson.
-Yes, I know. I have loved him all my life. I laughed a lot. I was on fire in that game. A lot of catch and shoot. Yes, a lot. No dribbling whatsoever. A lot of block and pop. -You go there and shoot.
-Right. A fast-break shot over there. Scott Skiles really liked that shot. You get on the fast break and stop. If there was an offensive rebound,
I would let you get it. -Especially if you had good percentages.
-Sure. Great move. Yeah, I was committed.
I really felt that game. -We lost it anyway.
-Look, Wallace. Yes, Ben Wallace. This was my second year. It’s interesting that among your anecdotes you have a thirty-point game
at the Staples Center. That’s huge. Or wasn’t it
the Staples Center by then? Yes. Not only were we playing
at the Staples Center, but also they were the NBA champions. Right, they were champions. A very good team. That game was awesome. I really enjoyed playing with Ben Wallace. I loved playing with him. You see how he runs and it’s unbelievable. -See how he jumps?
-Yes. It’s incredible. Germán, he was a great defender. -He was imposing.
-I’ve never seen hands as fast as Ben Wallace’s. I’ve never seen so many deflections. -When they touch the ball…
-Yeah, yeah. I had never seen a player coming from the weak side
to jump and block you. I loved it. -We were the smallest bigs of the NBA.
-Right. Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, and me. Did you ever make him laugh? -Yes.
-Or was he always serious? No, he never laughed. But sometimes he did. He had this personality of a serious man -Yeah, yeah.
-who never talked. Actually I told a story about that,
I think it was in your streaming, He told me one time he’d asked his son
who was his favorite Chicago Bull -and he said it was Andrés Nocioni.
-Right. So he approached you. He laughed at that. -He found it very funny.
-Look. -This is the first round against Miami.
-Yes. Miami was the champion. -Ben Wallace was already ours.
-Right. Shaquille wasn’t there anymore. No, he was there. Ben Wallace was in charge
of beating Shaquille. -Obviously.
-Good. Look how you celebrated. -Very rare in you, Andrés.
-Well, it was… Look. It was a bad year for me. Not in numbers though. If I hadn’t got plantar fasciitis, I would have had an incredible year. Physically amazing. The thing is that I got plantar fasciitis. And at one point I could hardly play
from the pain I was feeling. And I sucked it up a lot. I sucked it up for a long time
until Scott Skiles told me: -“Look, you’re suffering.
-“You’re limping.” You’re not training, just playing. So you have to stop until the playoffs.
You’re not playing until the playoffs.” I stopped until the playoffs. I made it. That’s what all the screaming was about. Of course, the frustration you had inside. I scored seven points in a row. That’s the last one. Oh, no. Seven… How is it possible they didn’t record you? No, they did. I shouted very loudly. That was because… -Thomas.
-…I’d had a very frustrating year. Scott Skiles really wanted me on the team,
so he said: “I need you in the playoffs. I don’t care how we’ll finish the season.
We will probably be all right.” We were all right. We played against Miami,
who were the reigning champions. Look at this celebration, Andrés. That was a good game for me. In that series I did well,
but in the next one against Detroit I was… How? In pain? I was bad. My fascia was hurt again. Did you feel that pain
throughout your career? -Or did it eventually go away?
-No, no. No, it went away.
I went through a plasma treatment. Some kind of experimental
European treatment. -You had sideburns, right?
-Yes. My hairdresser was awful,
so I cut it myself. I would grab a razor and cut it myself.
It was a disaster. Those haircuts were horrible. Oh! -Alonzo Mourning.
-Alonzo Mourning. Watch how you punch such a NBA legend, dude. -You have no shame.
-No, no. My general rule was… A video of Jordan against Chris Mullin
recently came out. -He fell really hard on him.
-Yes. He made Jordan jump,
and Jordan fell hard on him. -He ran him over.
-It made him fly. He is worse than me. Kicking and punching. I had that rule too.
If I fell for the fake and had to jump, -I would fall hard on him.
-And you deal with it. Eventually I started to be banned. They called it as a flagrant one. Not so much at first. This is on December 3rd, 2007.
It was the final stage of Chicago. Yes, yes. I don’t remember this game. Thirty points. Honestly, I don’t remember. -Dallas was a competitive team.
-[Dirk] Nowitzki. -Long hair, a bit…
-I do remember. Devin Harris as a starter. Let’s see who else was playing. I saw Deng. [DeSagana] Diop. That was a solid team. No, most of us were still there. [Thabo] Sefolosha. Is this my final year? Yes, it was your final year. -Right?
-We were very streaky back then. We were very irregular.
No, I think it’s my second year. Right. It was your second year. My second year. The shot was my thing. The shot helped me a lot in the NBA. I have to admit that,
among the other players, I was good at the beginning,
but then I became an average player. Just one among the rest. Physically speaking. What do you mean by “average”? Standard? Yes, standard.
I was an average player, physically. -I wasn’t a super athletic player.
-Not, but you were a good defender. Yes, a good defender who played physically. -Look, that was my move.
-Indeed. We played well.
We passed the ball to each other. We were a fun team to watch. -In the current NBA…
-It’s a shame the project didn’t work out in the long run
and didn’t have a little more trajectory. Do you think you would have been able
to play in the current NBA -with this style?
-Yes, absolutely. And even more. -They’re looking for players like this.
-Yes, power forwards that can shoot. And good defenders. Yes, exactly. That’s what happened with [Sasha] Vezenkov. -That didn’t work.
-Exactly. We played very similarly.
Vezenkov had the same shooting form as me. But he wasn’t a great defender, you know? -Right.
-So, let’s see. If you’re not defending,
you have to be a superstar. And nowadays even superstars
are criticized if they don’t defend. That’s the truth. You blocking Mo Williams. -Yes.
-Amazing. I loved blocking. -Blocking is one of the nicest moves.
-Yes, it’s very aesthetic. At the end of my career, I had became
an excellent blocker due to timing. In Real Madrid? -In Real Madrid.
-Yes, that’s true. I was starting to get the hang of it, see? -I didn’t used to…
-So you saw him coming and… -And I blocked his steps, basically.
-Right. Or I changed the steps before. -Did you see it?
-Impressive. Can you play it again? Yes, of course. If you pay attention, you can see
how I got the hang of taking those steps. -See those little steps?
-Yes. And then two steps to jump. And that’s it. I had already gotten the hang of blocking. You are a much-loved figure. Yes, because… Even in the street? -Let’s remember you got a standing ovation.
-Yes. Adrián Paenza is a witness. Yes. Was it the same in the street?
When you went shopping, for example. Well, it was my golden age. I would go to a restaurant, -and they would invite me.
-Amazing. That’s amazing. To be honest,
I was a little embarrassed sometimes. I would go out for dinner
with my wife after a game. I would want to make a reservation
or someone would recommend me a restaurant, but when I arrived,
the manager would approach me and say: -“Please, dinner is on us.”
-“It’s our treat.” That happened a lot
not in my early days as a Rookie, -but when we made it to the playoffs.
-Right. When we made it to the playoffs,
Chicago became a fantastic party. It was Chicago’s return to the Playoffs. -After a long time. Yes, right.
-After Jordan’s era. So people went crazy,
and we caught them by surprise. They didn’t see it coming.
They thought we would need more practice. -Yes, it all happened very fast.
-Exactly. You had long hair, we are talking about… -Wild.
-Very wild. -Absolutely.
-Completely wild. Long hair. This move was amazing. It’s one of my best moves. I think it’s the strongest slam dunk
you ever made. We’re watching an and one
against Orlando Magic. December 31st, 2007. Let’s see. Maybe I don’t remember this one. I’m sure you haven’t seen some clips
because it’s unreleased material. -Look. No, no, no.
-Look! No, no. -No, no.
-Wait. Pause it. Let’s pause it and tell everyone
it’s one of the few moves -that would blow your mind.
-It’s incredible. You’re flying. I corrected my move to get the foul. No, that was… That was serious.
You were a committed player. I got hit in the nose, dude. Or was I acting? Let’s see. -Yes, he hit you.
-Absolutely. -[Dwight] Howard.
-But… Yeah. And people liked that, you know? -Generally I was very passionate.
-Of course. A little bit of acting. Not really. I truly felt it. I had never faked a scream -or a celebration.
-What are we watching? His poster? Or a poster on him? A poster on him. -Now it’s time for more delicate moments.
-Okay, well. -As the NBA had such great moments,
-Yeah. -it also had some humiliating ones.
-Yes. And we have the responsibility
to show them. Wait. Before we start,
I want to explain something to everyone, okay?
Because if they don’t know… I’d been a very fearless person in my life -and my career. My goal was to block.
-You blocked everyone. I believed I could block everyone,
and actually it was… -a matter of optimism.
-Yeah. In fact, you have your historical
dunk on [Kevin] Garnett in 1999. -Something a reckless person would do.
-Totally reckless. When blocking, it was the same. If I saw Shaquille O’Neal coming,
I would try to block him. The problem was I’d never catch him. Did it hurt to get dunked on? No, no. I dealt with it.
They laughed at me a lot. This was with Kawhi. This was with Kwame Brown -One from the draft.
-Yes, Kawhi… -No, Brown.
-Kwame Brown. Yes. He was the number one pick
from the draft. Exactly. Then he failed categorically. Yes, a total failure. Fast-break, I tried to draw the charge. Oh, no. I didn’t make it. They kept staring at you. I was inside the circle. -No, no.
-Nobody helped you. -Nobody.
-Not a single teammate. No, no. This wasn’t that serious. It’s usual to fall for the fake
in those cases. -It was Samurai Camby who dunked on me.
-There. -I was inside the circle.
-Inside the circle. I knew I would commit a foul,
but I stayed anyway. Good. I would say I had never ran away. Never. I didn’t want to block him.
I just wanted to commit an offensive foul. -Yeah.
-Those fouls were called back then. If I stayed where I had to be… -You could draw them.
-…maybe I could get them. -I was late to help there.
-Look at that. Well, Camby. No, this is DeAndre Jordan. Oh, it’s DeAndre Jordan.
I thought it was Camby. DeAndre Jordan as a Rookie, probably,
because he was very young. Yes, very young. Let’s see the next. Well, this is awesome. What was I trying to do? -I don’t remember this.
-What was I doing? This game was to qualify for the playoffs. -We were very even.
-Right. We had to win no matter what. Oh. -Oh, no.
-Where was I going? I didn’t even raise my arms, so… And [Vince] Carter was in his prime. This Nets team played very well. It was a close game
to qualify for the playoffs. I think each team
ended that season with 41 wins. We had to win a lot of games at the end
to compensate how bad we did at first. This was a crucial game for us to qualify. -They were good and made it to the final.
-Yes, very good. They weren’t in their prime though. -Right, they weren’t the same.
-But they played well. I have no idea where I was going. -Look at my face.
-To steal the ball. I just wanted to make
the inbound pass quickly, you know? Pay attention. Look, I’m coming. I jumped and put out my hands. -And that’s it.
-Let’s make the inbound pass quickly. -Let’s move on.
-Let the game continue. Maybe they didn’t notice. This was against Yao Ming. Very hard. -They threw you to the wolves, dude.
-You see? What a bummer. No, no. They put me in that game… No, no. What is this move? I didn’t see him. I couldn’t go around him. Watch this, watch this. I wanted to push him out
to see if I could go around him. Look, look. What I really wanted -was for them to fall for the fake
-Yeah, yeah. so that I would have enough time
to steal the ball. The thing about Yao Ming
was that the lower part of his body -was really big.
-Right. He had these huge legs
that looked like plant pots. In that game,
the big ones got a lot of fouls, so they threw me to the wolves. When I entered the court,
we recovered the game a little bit. We reduced the difference in points. I was defending Yao Ming. -But I could defend him for two minutes.
-Yeah, yeah. Then he realized
and there was nothing I could do. Okay, I will show you photos
with your teammates and rivals, -and we will talk a little about them.
-Good, good. Ben Gordon. He is the best scorer I’ve ever met. I played with two guys who could categorically change
a game with their runs. Ben Gordon and Macijauskas. [Arvydas] Macijauskas. -Lithuanian.
-Lithuanian. I played with him for Baskonia
and then he played for New Orleans. Yes, I remember it perfectly. He was amazing. When he was focused
and in the zone, he killed it. Why do you think his career went downhill?
Because afterwards… The NBA is complicated. There is a lot of passion in the NBA. A lot of players
had a great start and then just… -It happened to me too, you know?
-Right. You encountered new situations. New teams, new projects. -You start from scratch again.
-Yes, yes. It just happened. But he was an amazing streaky player. Good. Ben Wallace. -Ben Wallace.
-For me he was the plumber of the team. Every defense
needs someone like Ben Wallace. He is the best defender ever. A good teammate? A great guy. Very respectful. He didn’t speak a word. -But…
-Confrontational? -He didn’t get along with Scott Skiles.
-Right, with his coach. He also was a little upset with Chicago
due to the rule of the headbands. -At that time,
-Oh, I remember. Chicago couldn’t play with headbands. With nothing on the body. He was a little upset about that,
but he was an amazing defender. -Good.
-He must have been awesome in his prime. There’s a reason why Detroit… They became champions. -…defended Shaquille O’Neal.
-Sure. We saw him
as Shaquille O’Neal’s kryptonite. I mean, yes. He was in Miami. He was his kryptonite.
And it worked during the first year. Good. What do we have here? Mike Sweetney. Ben Gordon. -And Chandler.
-Tyson Chandler. Mike Sweetney got traded from New York. We needed someone
to play as the five, but he had problems. -Which ones?
-Mostly physical. Hinrich. Kirk Hinrich, a great guy.
A really great guy. -He looked like an office worker.
-A good person. He was one of the people
I used to go out most often on my days off. For instance, one time we rented bikes
in Venice Beach, in Los Angeles. We had the day off
so we went for a bike ride. The one you hung out with the most. -Yes, we saw a golf tournament in Phillips.
-Really? It’s a famous golf tournament
in which they let you scream at golfers. -It’s one of the most controversial games.
-It doesn’t comply with… -golf protocols.
-Exactly, it doesn’t comply with them. We went with Kirk Hinrich, -with Fred Tedeschi, the physio,
-Yes. and with Chris Duhon. Have you ever spoken with him again? We talked a few times
through social media. And I contacted him one time
through Fred Tedeschi, who continued there. -But then I lost track of everyone.
-Yes, -I spoke with Luol Deng a few times.
-It’s normal. -But life pushes you away.
-It’s terrible. It is what it is. I don’t have as much contact as I do
with Hispanic players. But even so, I don’t talk to Sergi (Llul)
or Facu (Campazzo) as much anymore. -It just happens.
-Yes. It’s so hard. -Deng. Great guy.
-An amazing guy. I arrived in Chicago. I searched for a house. I bought a house. And it turned out to be
next to Luol Deng’s home. Oh, neighbors. -Not neighbors. It was a terraced house.
-A country? -Oh.
-We shared the same door. That’s how they call it in Spain. I think they are called duplex, right? Yes, row houses. -I understand.
-I don’t know the name. So we were neighbors. He helped me a lot,
because he was from a foreign country too. He was there for me.
He showed me around, he called me. I stayed alone for a long time. -My wife was pregnant.
-I remember. So he invited me to eat at his house
because he had a private chef. He helped with anything I might need. A good and funny guy
who you would ask for advice. -An amazing guy. We stay in touch.
-And what… I texted him several times regarding the [South Sudanese
basketball] team. He had done an extraordinary job
with the [South Sudanese] team. I was really excited about it
so I texted him -to congratulate him on what he did.
-Good. Noah. -He had a very successful year in Chicago.
-With Rose. Exactly, with Rose. I wasn’t there anymore. -I should have been their mentor.
-Right. I should have been there as a veteran. But Chicago needed a center at that time, so I ended up being trade
with Brad Miller and John Salmons. If it hadn’t been for that,
I should have been there with them. That’s the only thing
that remained pending. -Yes.
-To grow with them as a team. But Joakim was awesome. He was very funny
and I enjoyed my time with him. His father was… A star. -A rock star, actually.
-Yeah, yeah. He used to sing at that time,
I don’t know if he still does. An amazing tennis player
and a great person. Rose. -Rose…
-You didn’t play with him much, right? I was the first one to understand his game. I knew I had to turn around and go
behind him. The photo speaks for itself. -He was really fast.
-He was really fast. I stood at the three-point line
and waited for him to turn around when the defenses were too strong, which wasn’t usual
because he was in great shape. -I got used to playing with him.
-Okay. Hinrich was a very different point guard. -Yes, because he was pure power.
-Sure. It was different, and I loved it. And Vinny Del Negro was behind him. Yes, Vinny Del Negro.
I was no longer playing with them then. At first, he tried to make me play
because I had a high-earning contract. -But then, little by little…
-He didn’t play you as much. No, it wasn’t like that.
I played during that year. But I adapted very well to Rose.
I loved playing with him. -He is…
-Thabo Sefolosha. Oh, Sefolosha. Thabo Sefolosha
had to earn a spot in the NBA. He was a great guy too
and lived right in front of my place. It was a district for players.
You had like your own neighborhood. Yeah, and Ben Gordon
also lived in the same… Was it a gated community? It was a very nice and quiet
gated community. He lived just across the street. We used to get together very often
to go to the airport. One time, I crushed my car on my way
from Northbrook, where I used to live, to downtown Chicago. I crashed into another car. My car broke down
and I got stuck on the freeway. And I had to get to the game. But how was the accident?
Sorry for asking this. -You didn’t see him?
-Honestly, I was drinking coffee. There was traffic. -We were moving and stopping constantly.
-Yes. I took a sip and when I looked back, the car in front of mine stopped,
and I hit it. So I instantly called Fred Tedeschi
and told him I had a car accident. He said he would send me help and that he would call Luol Deng
to see if they were heading to the game. He called Luol Deng, who was
with Thabo Sefolosha in a different car. -Did they pick you up? Unbelievable.
-They picked me up at the highway. And they took me to the game. I even think it was a playoff. That’s huge. -Ray Allen.
-Ray Allen. -He played with an amazing team.
-Of course. It had a mix of everything:
talent, personality, -because they had Paul Pierce.
-Experience. -They had [Kevin] Garnett, Allen.
-Garnett. [Rajon] Rondo. And it was very hard to defend him. You couldn’t take your eyes off him. -You couldn’t. He created shots fast.
-Did he… I was about to ask you that. He was fast and knew how to move. Like Stephen Curry now, you know? Right, constantly… He was constantly moving,
so it was very hard to defend him. He was a killer. He was a player
with an extraordinary shooting form. Good. Well, this was… Is it [Vince] Carter? Athletic wise, he was one
of the most extraordinary players. He was incredible, even though I met him
when he wasn’t at his peak anymore. -Right.
-But he was still powerful. But he was impressive. -So… Yes.
-You can see his shooting form there. I should have tried to block it
with my left hand, not the right one. But… He was a top player. -I think he was great.
-And was he respectful? Yes, he was pretty respectful. The type of guy
who’d always greeted you. “Hey, Noc.” He knew me. They all called me Noc. What do we have here? Great picture. With Carlos Delfino. What happened with Carlos?
He hurt my ego a bit. -He would go behind me and block me.
-Right. -He was younger and arrived later than you.
-Just like Walter Herrmann. Yeah. I could have generated
something similar to [Manu], for example. What? You don’t think so, right? Did Luis Scola arrive after you? -Yes.
-Yes, after me. And Carlitos arrived
the same year as I did. Right, and younger. First round. I had the Rookie transition
with Carlitos Delfino and Fabricio Oberto, which was hilarious.
In my first year, I spoke English well. But in the Rookie transition
they teach you economics… Let’s explain this. The NBA organizes
some kind of course for Rookies. It’s a mandatory course. It lasts two whole days. You have to stay there for 12 or 14 hours listening talks
about economics, relationships, -How to invest your money.
-psychology, investments. It was a course organized by the NBA
called “The Rookie Transition.” I attended with Carlitos Delfino
and Fabricio Oberto. Fabricio understood everything. Carlitos and me understood almost nothing,
because it was very specific terminology. -Imagine being there for 14 hours.
-Fooling around. -You were Olympic champions.
-Yes, of course. -Imagine sitting like this…
-No, no. …at a table with a psychologist. Bynum was there too,
who played for the Lakers. Yes, Andrew Bynum. He made some questions we couldn’t believe. -Are you stupid or what?
-This guy was 21 years old. How come he didn’t know all this? The thing is we came
much more mature from Europe. -Yes, yes.
-Much more mature than college players from the NBA. -Did you witness his evolution?
-Absolutely. Because he had a unique talent. Yes, the Valley team he played for
was more consolidated -and had more veterans.
-Right. My experience was completely different, because I started to play
for a rebuilding team. We were trying to consolidate. The Pistons had won the title,
they had their ups and downs. But Carlitos was extraordinary. -Yes.
-Seeing him play was amazing. When he was on a roll, it was impressive. I consider him
one of the most talented players. Without considering Manu,
I dare to say he is the most talented. Yes. -Nowitzki. Too close.
-Dirk Nowitzki. -Too close, too close.
-It was really hard… It was really hard to defend him.
I usually did that. I would bend down a little
and attack him by the legs, because he was tall. That way it was a little harder for him.
But he had the ability -to shoot overhead
-That shot. He was a great player. I loved his moves. He became slower over time,
and it was easier to defend him, because I pulled him back with my body
so he wouldn’t win the position -near the basket.
-Ýeah. I think he was an outstanding player. His performance during
the 2002 FIBA World Championship. It was incredible.
He was out of this world. -Okay.
-This is… -[Dwight] Howard.
-A dunk in Howard’s face. That happened several times. Howard did it too several times. -I always tried to go up there and block it.
-Yes, you went all in. Then I saw what happened. Howard was an absolute prodigy. They arrived together with Okafor. I think he was number two from the draft. And he was young. Right. Yes, I used to jump at that time. I didn’t back down and went all in,
but these things happened. Of course, these things happened. Kidd. Jason Kidd. It was the time
he was playing with Vince Carter. And with [Richard] Jefferson too. -Yes.
-It was a solid Nets team. -Yes, they were finalists.
-But he was a player who would run the game at his own will. I couldn’t understand
how he thought those moves. He controlled everything at his own rhythm. -Right.
-He wasn’t so explosive. But he was very clever
and had an ability to watch his rivals and especially his teammates
to pass them the ball. Very talented. Good. -Kobe.
-Kobe, the best one. -Did you ever exchange a few words?
-Yes, Kobe was awesome. He said hello in Spanish. -But did he know you?
-He spoke in Spanish. Yes, he respected me a lot. I have an amazing story with Kobe. We were in Beijing with the national team. We were outside drinking mate. Suddenly, a man appeared all covered up. He tapped me on the shoulder.
When I turned around, it was Kobe. -He was visiting the Olympic Village.
-The Olympic Village. Incredible. They did it at night
because nobody could see them. -During the day it was crowded with people.
-Yes. They were staying on a boat, right? That day he told me he was looking forward
to rebuilding the Lakers. This happened when the Lakers
were going down. -He needed players with my personality
-He tempted you. and my character. Yes. -Your ego was sky-high.
-Well, yeah. But I was all over the place with the NBA. Maybe he said it to be polite. -No, no.
-He was awesome anyway. He was a good person.
He was polite and treated me well. Maybe I blocked him there. -If we talk about his game, I have no words.
-The picture… By far, he is the player with more resources
I’ve ever encountered in my career. -LeBron doesn’t have such resources.
-No, no. -Not even close.
-And you didn’t play with Jordan. I didn’t, but I think this was
the closest thing to playing with Jordan. If we talk about their game, you know?
It was pretty similar. -LeBron.
-LeBron. You threw a few punches at him. At first, I thought I could defend him
and that we were physically the same. -In your first year?
-In my first year, I used to think so. Then he had a physical growth
which was out of this world. -There I was starting to…
-To suffer. That was his second or third year. It wasn’t so hard to defend him yet. -Right, because he hadn’t developed…
-But then, over time… There were games in which
he scored 40 points in front of my face. But then I could defend him and stop him. I could make him nervous
and lower his percentage. Because he wouldn’t read the game so much. -It was different.
-Sure, he was very young. He didn’t shoot so much,
so I took advantage of that. But I thought I could defend him by then. Did you talk or was he too young? He didn’t like me that much,
because I would usually grab him. -Yes.
-Especially when he was close to the hoop. I grabbed him
because I couldn’t stop him otherwise. He became bigger over time
and it was even harder. It got to the point that you grabbed him
and he lifted you up. It was incredible. We are talking about one of the best players. -Yes.
-One of the best I’ve ever played with. -Oh my God.
-Luisito Scola. Did I dunk the ball in Luisito’s face? -It looks like you did.
-Do we have the video? No, this is all we have. I think I dunked it, dude. You were doing good. I was on the right path. I really liked Luis. Playing against Luis or Manu
motivated me a lot. I wanted to compete with them, because playing well
against either Manu or Luis -meant being in the cover of Olé magazine.
-Right, of course. And that’s what I was looking for. To be recognized
in my country and in the NBA. So playing against Luis motivated me.
I have known him since I was 15 years old. I think he is the most professional player
I have ever played with in my career. Manu said that, when he was playing
against you or any Argentinian, he wanted you guys to play well,
even though he wanted to win. Did it happen to you? Yes, I wanted Luis
to play well the whole season -Except…
-Except against me. But I always wished him the best. The success of other players
have never been an issue for me. No, I know that perfectly well. I’m happy that Luis
has earned such a spot in Houston. Houston is very well-known. -Very prestigious.
-Yes, a strong franchise. He did it extraordinarily well. I really enjoyed playing with him. It is true that I made things complicated
for him due to my shooting form. -Right.
-He had to defend me. -He played with Yao Ming.
-Right. So he had to defend me. I played on the outside
and made it a little difficult for him. -But then it was very hard to defend him.
-Yes, of course. Manu. Manu had a lot of nerve. -Manu was…
-He scored on you or something. Manu was very competitive in everything.
Actually, he still is. -Yes, he still is.
-One time… we went to Monte Hermoso
and were playing tejo on the beach. -He wanted to win.
-He went crazy just for playing tejo -on the beach.
-The same with ping-pong. In those cases,
you take notice of his personality. And when he played with us,
he was very motivated. He always played well. -Really?
-Yeah. -He would always…
-Did you ever smack at him? Yes, of course. Of course I did. I mean, my job was to defend him. During my first two years, I was in charge of defending
Kobe, LeBron, Manu, Nowitzki. -Everyone.
-Everyone. It was very frustrating sometimes. Yes, but being a respectable defender
remains as a good legacy. -And you played on the best team.
-Yes, but what happened The good thing was that,
if Kobe scored 40 points, -who would say anything?
-Nobody, of course. -There’s nothing to say.
-That was positive. The problem arose when a newcomer
showed up and scored 20 points. You would have a problem then. Did Manu ever humiliate you? Yes, he humiliated me a lot.
Manu made me jump too. Besides, Manu
slalomed in an incredible way. -Yes.
-Moving from side to side. It was very hard to defend him. You knew he would go to the left. So it was impossible. As a teammate, it meant
having a winner on your side. Yes. -You said so.
-I think the Argentinian national team was very different with or without Manu. Let’s be realistic.
With Manu, we could compete for something way bigger
than without him. I consider Luis Scola the most important player
in the history of the national team in terms of longevity, -years, participation, percentages.
-His leadership and experience. But the quality of Emanuel Ginóbili’s game
was what stood out in the tournaments. Eduardo Nájera. To be honest,
Eduardo was a very hard rival. I have rarely played with someone
who was so strong when standing still. If I wanted to move him,
there was no way to achieve that. We shared more experiences in Mexico
with the Argentinian national team. -Right.
-Then a sports brand invited us to a campus in Brazil. We went together and had a very good time. A great guy, a great person. He earned his spot in the NBA,
especially in Dallas. -Gasol.
-Pau Gasol. It was impossible to defend this guy, dude. He is so tall. Even more in FIBA, you know? -In FIBA he was amazing.
-He made the difference. His size… And he was strong too. Yeah, yeah. People used to say he was a softie. -No, he wasn’t like that. He was very good.
-No. For me, Marc and him
made the difference in the Golden Team. -They…
-I wish we had had an Andrés Nocioni
who could become a Pau Gasol. -Right. Yeah.
-Do you understand? It wouldn’t have been an issue to lose me
if we had incorporated one of the two Gasol. I think we would have had better results. If you had to choose one of them,
who would it be? I would choose Mark. Tough choice. I think I wouldn’t. -I think I would choose Pau.
-He was amazing too. He was a leader in his generation. I think I would choose Pau. I love Mark anyway. He is awesome. A great guy. He is a great guy. Pau is different. -More reserved? More diplomatic.
-More reserved, -more diplomatic and calculating.
-Yes. -I prefer Mark for his kindness, you know?
-Yeah, yeah. I like him a lot because of that,
but I think Pau is more talented. Yes, you are right. Okay, Andrés, last question.
After all we have seen, your relationship with the franchise, how much your teammates
and people loved you, doesn’t it make you want
to at least watch a game and see if anyone remembers you? Doesn’t it make you curious? It makes me curious,
but it also makes me feel embarrassed. I don’t know what would happen. I couldn’t explain.
Firstly, because it was a long time ago. Secondly, because I didn’t leave my mark.
I didn’t win a championship in Chicago. I did have a winning mindset
for having played the playoffs. But I’m embarrassed. I haven’t done it because I didn’t dare. But you still feel nostalgic
for having been there, right? Yes, of course. I think Chicago
was one of the best cities I’ve ever been to. My relationship with the Bulls
will remain forever. And every time I see Pippen, Jordan, Rodman, all of these players, -just to name a few…
-Yeah. it really shocks me. Well, my jersey is back there. It’s something that really gets me. Okay. Thank you very much. -Amazing, amazing.
-Germancito, it was a pleasure. -Thank you.
-I hope we do it. I hope we go to Chicago
to make up for lost time. Yes, of course.