Real Madrid

Rudy Fernandez (04-04-1985, Palma de Mallorca, Spain) stands out for his athleticism, excellent shots outside the three-point line, steals and endless skills in offence. Pablo Laso will once again count on one of the most decisive and unsettling players in European basketball.

Rudy started to play basketball at San Jose Obrero School in Palma de Mallorca. He liked football, but family tradition (both parents were professional basketball players, and so is his sister)and his height tilted the scales towards basketball. He left Palma when he was 12 years old to live in Badalona, where he joined Joventut. He played for every side in the club's academy and made his first team debut aged 17 on 7 April 2002 against Real Madrid.

That marked the start of an amazing career on the team, which led him to win the Eurocup (2006), the Copa del Rey (2008) and the ULEB Cup (2008). He also quickly became a leading figure on the Spanish national team, with which he made his debut with a 97-70 victory over Croatia on 23 July 2004. He won the 2006 World Championships, the Silver Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Gold in the 2009 and 2011 editions of the Eurobasket with Spain.

The Chinese Olympics saw him score 22 points and dunk over Dwight Howard's 212 cm in the impressive final between Spain and the US. He had already been picked up by NBA side Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2007 Draft and was later transferred to the Portland Trail Blazers.

After scoring 14.4 points, grabbing 3.5 rebounds and serving close to 3 assists per game in 187 fixtures in the ACB, Rudy left for Oregon and made his NBA debut in LA against the Lakers, scoring 16 points and serving four assists. He became the first European player to ever participate in an NBA All Star dunk contest. In three years with Portland, Rudy netted 8.8 points, pulled down 2.4 rebounds, served 2.1 assists and made one steal per game.

He was transferred to the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2011, but signed for Real Madrid due to the suspension of the NBA season. He played 17 games with the Whites in the Endesa League and Euroleague, averaging 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per clash. He returned to the US in December 2011 to join the Denver Nuggets, with hom he scored 8.6 points, grabbed 2.1 rebounds and served 2.4 assists on average per clash in his 31 appearances with the team.