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Rudy Fernandez is one of the most decorated basketball players in Spanish history. The 6-foot-5 wing currently plays for Real Madrid of Liga ACB. He is a three-time All-Euro League selection and won championships in 2015 and 2018. Fernandez is also a staple on the Spanish national team. He has won 3 Olympic medals.
Spain also has another basketball hero in Pau Gasol. Gasol is a two-time NBA champion. He has had a successful NBA career and runs with his native national team.
Pau was the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft and won Rookie of the Year in the 2001-02 season. Gasol was the first non-American-born player to win that award. He and Fernandez have won Olympic medals and many FIBA EuroBasket medals as teammates.
Gasol is five years Fernandez’s senior, and while they have never played together in a club competition, they have been teammates in international basketball play. The two are some of the most important players in the history of Spanish basketball.
How Good Was Rudy Fernandez?
With the recent "Redeem Team" documentary debuting on Netflix, many basketball fans were reintroduced to Rudy Fernandez. Fernandez was a member of the Spanish team that gave team USA the most competition. Fans got to see that Fernandez could put the ball in the bucket.
After those Olympics, Fernandez went to play in the NBA for the Portland Trailblazers. During his first season in the NBA, Fernandez was named the NBA All-Rookie 2nd team. Fernandez also participated in the Slam Dunk competition during All-Star Weekend.
Rudy Fernandez had a brief NBA career. He averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in four seasons. His team made it to the postseason each year. However, he saw his minutes shrink. His ppg dropped to 5.7 in 18 appearances.
Fernandez returned to overseas play following the 2011-12 season. In his 19 seasons overseas, Fernandez has averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His best years came before his time in the NBA.
After Spain recently won gold in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, Fernandez claimed his 11th medal on the men’s senior team. That ties him with Pau Gasol. The two players won eight medals together, including all three of their Olympic medals.
While Rudy Fernandez didn't have the NBA career that Pau Gasol did, the two changed the course of the Spanish National team. They are part of the most successful era in the country’s basketball history. That tie will bind them together forever.
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