Llull: “Doncic was raised with us and now is a global star”
'I'm so happy that Luka is coming home and that all madridistas and basketball fans can enjoy a game against an NBA team.' said Rudy.
Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernández were in the press room at the Wizink Center hours before the big game against Dallas Mavericks 8.45pm CEST. Llull was the first to give his thoughts on the match: 'We're going to look to compete and try to make sure that the fans who have paid the entrance fee enjoy watching some great basketball. We're very happy. It's going to be a very special game'.
'Doncic was raised with us at Real Madrid and now he's a global star. One of the secrets to getting to where he is now is his humility. He's developed physically and in terms of his basketball, but he hasn't changed his personality. That makes him even more special'.
Doncic's start
'He always did something special in training and I could see that his head was working faster than the rest of the players. I'll always remember the first points he scored for us, it was a three-pointer against Unicaja and he came back to defend as if as if he was already used to it. We have a great friendship with Luka. We've seen him grow and we're delighted with his success and he's happy with ours. We talk a lot throughout the year'.
Doncic's return to Europe
'If one day he wants to come back, the doors at Real Madrid are open to him for sure, but I don't think we'll be able to share the court with him any more. He's a fantastic person off the court and on it I remember the Final Four in Belgrade. At such a young age and dominating a competition like that, it's admirable'.
Real Madrid's youth system
'It would be a mistake for us to want to find another Doncic. Players have to live their own experience and reach their own level. A player like Luka comes along once in a million. The youth ranks are in good shape and the players who are making their debuts with the first team are proving to be at a high level'.
'Doncic was raised with us at Real Madrid and now he's a global star. One of the secrets to getting to where he is now is his humility. He's developed physically and in terms of his basketball, but he hasn't changed his personality. That makes him even more special'.
Doncic's start
'He always did something special in training and I could see that his head was working faster than the rest of the players. I'll always remember the first points he scored for us, it was a three-pointer against Unicaja and he came back to defend as if as if he was already used to it. We have a great friendship with Luka. We've seen him grow and we're delighted with his success and he's happy with ours. We talk a lot throughout the year'.
Doncic's return to Europe
'If one day he wants to come back, the doors at Real Madrid are open to him for sure, but I don't think we'll be able to share the court with him any more. He's a fantastic person off the court and on it I remember the Final Four in Belgrade. At such a young age and dominating a competition like that, it's admirable'.
Real Madrid's youth system
'It would be a mistake for us to want to find another Doncic. Players have to live their own experience and reach their own level. A player like Luka comes along once in a million. The youth ranks are in good shape and the players who are making their debuts with the first team are proving to be at a high level'.
Rudy: 'Doncic is one of the best ambassadors for Real Madrid'
'I'm so happy that Luka is coming home and that all madridistas and basketball fans can enjoy a game against an NBA team and against the best. One of them is Luka, one of our own. He is more than a teammate, he's a part of the family. We've seen him grow up. In spite of the magnitude of what he does, he's still the same as he has always been. We're proud of everything that he does. We're very fond of him and Luka's relationship with Real Madrid and with us is very satisfying'.
'It's always nice to play against Dallas. They're top-level players, but we have to remember that we've got a very demanding Euroleague game in Turkey on Thursday'.
How to stop Doncic?
'You can't stop a player like him. He's got a lot of class and hopefully it won't be his day today. He's the best player on the planet. To us he is. He's got so many assets that he's very difficult to stop. There's a lot of one-on-one in the NBA and he adapts to every type of game. It was different in Europe, but he's adapted very well. The NBA is noticing that European talent adapts very well to their style. He's going to play in the NBA for many, many years because of his trajectory and hopefully he can compete for the ring'.
Doncic's madridismo
'Luka is a madridista and gets behind us at every football and basketball game. He's one of the best ambassadors for Real Madrid around the world. He's a legend at Real Madrid and we're delighted about that. As a person and as a player, I remember the last year he played with us and was one of the leaders of Real Madrid at the age of 17 or 18'.
The testicular cancer that Polonara is going through
'We will provide him with whatever he needs. All our support at this time and we hope he recovers well. We're athletes and we're linked by the same objective, to be healthy. We hope to see him back on the courts soon'.
'I'm so happy that Luka is coming home and that all madridistas and basketball fans can enjoy a game against an NBA team and against the best. One of them is Luka, one of our own. He is more than a teammate, he's a part of the family. We've seen him grow up. In spite of the magnitude of what he does, he's still the same as he has always been. We're proud of everything that he does. We're very fond of him and Luka's relationship with Real Madrid and with us is very satisfying'.
'It's always nice to play against Dallas. They're top-level players, but we have to remember that we've got a very demanding Euroleague game in Turkey on Thursday'.
How to stop Doncic?
'You can't stop a player like him. He's got a lot of class and hopefully it won't be his day today. He's the best player on the planet. To us he is. He's got so many assets that he's very difficult to stop. There's a lot of one-on-one in the NBA and he adapts to every type of game. It was different in Europe, but he's adapted very well. The NBA is noticing that European talent adapts very well to their style. He's going to play in the NBA for many, many years because of his trajectory and hopefully he can compete for the ring'.
Doncic's madridismo
'Luka is a madridista and gets behind us at every football and basketball game. He's one of the best ambassadors for Real Madrid around the world. He's a legend at Real Madrid and we're delighted about that. As a person and as a player, I remember the last year he played with us and was one of the leaders of Real Madrid at the age of 17 or 18'.
The testicular cancer that Polonara is going through
'We will provide him with whatever he needs. All our support at this time and we hope he recovers well. We're athletes and we're linked by the same objective, to be healthy. We hope to see him back on the courts soon'.