Rudy Fernandez and Lorenzo Brown harmonized splendidly on the pitch. The two Spaniards were important pillars in the 100:90 victory in the quarterfinals against the Finns around their NBA winger Lauri Markkanen, who, despite his 28 points, unsuccessfully fought against the European Championship elimination. The Finns clearly led at the break (52:43), then Fernandez brought the change: he intercepted five passes from the opponent and scored 15 points. And in the closing stages, Brown structured the game, scoring 18 points. The German team now meets world champions Spain, around captain Fernandez and playmaker Brown.
Originally, Mallorquin Fernandez wasn’t too happy about the new team-mate from the USA, although Brown came into the selection of the Iberians with the recommendation of an NBA past. But that was the problem, until shortly before the tournament started Brown was not yet a Spaniard. The 32-year-old, who has been touring through Europe’s top clubs and is currently employed by Maccabi Tel Aviv, was naturalized in an expedited procedure especially for the European Championship. Fernandez found that disrespectful towards his own talents in a first reaction.
Brown isn’t the only player who has been given a new nationality without further ado. Shane Larkin, who missed the 86-87 last 16 defeat by France with a finger injury, will take the field for Turkey. With Larkin, formerly active in the NBA and later playmaker at various Euroleague clubs, the result might have looked different. Remarkably often the new citizens are playmakers, North American forces are obviously in demand. They gladly accept the offer, especially since they would never make it into the national selection under their own US flag.
Jaleen Smith says he didn’t even know where Croatia was. Now he is playmaker for the national team
Kendrick Perry, who caused a lot of trouble for the German team with Montenegro in the round of 16 with 27 points, thanked his new home country for the chance to take part in such an outstanding European Championship. Because with his club Malaga he never plays against NBA players. Or John Roberson: The Bosnian playmaker played in Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Russia, Australia, Turkey and Spain – but never in Bosnia.
Jaleen Smith became a Croatian shortly before the start of the tournament, the previously Texan earns his money at Alba Berlin, and his contacts with Croatia were of a more economical nature, as he explained to the internet portal Eurohoops reported: He didn’t even know where his new home was. Mike Tobey said something similar: he first heard about Slovenia when he was asked if he wanted a passport.
After all, a distortion of competition like in handball is not possible. The World Cup in Qatar remains in bad memory: The hosts bought players from Cuba, Montenegro, Bosnia, Spain and France with millions of petrodollars and finished second in the World Cup. Although the rules were tightened afterwards, they are not as rigid as in basketball: Only a naturalized player is allowed to play there.
Defense specialist Nick Weiler-Babb (left) could face Lorenzo Brown. Here he stops Greece playmaker Kostas Sloukas.
(Photo: Uwe Koch/Eibner/Imago)
But the Spanish team has a lot more to offer than Brown: The Hernangomez brothers Juancho (Denver Nuggets) and Willy (New Orleans Pelicans) both play in the NBA. The latter was the best thrower against Finland with 28 points. Usman Garuba also joins the Houston Rockets in the NBA. In addition, the Italian coach Sergio Scariolo is considered an old fox in tactics, he won three European Championships and one World Cup title with Spain. “They play with incredible calm, tactically very sophisticated, the coach always has things in store that are not so common,” warns Germany’s co-captain Johannes Voigtmann.
It was also Scariolo’s idea to bring an experienced and high-class leader to the team after the end of the golden generation in Brown, especially since the regular playmaker Ricky Rubio, who is of course also listed in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, is out with a cruciate ligament rupture. In the German team, they have a defensive specialist in Nick Weiler-Babb, who seems tailor-made for the task of narrowing Lorenzo Brown’s circle.
Incidentally, Weiler-Babb was naturalized shortly before the EM. At least he knows his new home. He has a German grandmother, has been playing in Germany since 2019 and has just extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2024.
