Felipe Reyes breaks down the art of rebounding, gives advice to young players / News - Basketnews.com

Felipe Reyes revealed that he turned down NBA interest to stay with Real Madrid, explained how he became a prolific rebounder, and gave some piece of advice to younger players who leave Europe early. He also named the single most tough moment of his career.

Credit: Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press Sports via Getty Images Credit Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 / Europa Press Sports via Getty Images

An old-school big man who became one of the most emblematic figures of the golden generation of Spanish basketball, Felipe Reyes reached the top of Europe with the Spanish National Team and Real Madrid.

Felipe Reyes

Position:C, PFAge:43Height:204 cmWeight:112 kgBirth place:Cordoba, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

On the occasion of his entry to the FEB Hall of Fame, the 43-year-old retired player talked to AS about the most important moments of his long career.

Reyes revealed that he had some NBA offers, but ultimately decided to stay with Real Madrid.

"I don't regret it at all," he said. "I am very grateful to the club for the treatment they gave me at the time. I was very comfortable here and everyone's interest in me was constant, from the president down to the employees."

Regarding players' departure from Europe to the NBA, Reyes' advice to them would be to "hold on a little, to mature."

"It is true that there are cases of very young players who leave and succeed. Look at Pau [Gasol] or Luka [Doncic]. But if you have a place in the NBA, the doors will always be open for you, it is not always necessary to leave at the first opportunity that arises," he argued.

If there is one thing in his game that stood out above the rest, was his ability to grab rebounds. Reyes was a prolific rebounder throughout his career and since his early days as a professional.

"I guess you have to carry a part of it inside. But it is also true that I trained a lot. And in the end, you have to have the desire, because the rebounds are often not taken by height, they are taken by intensity and by being heavy," he opined.

"You have to know how to position yourself against your rival. I would say that 50-60% is inside you and 40-50% is training," the EuroLeague legend continued.

"To be a good rebounder you have to lose your fear of contact, which is something that takes a lot of effort throughout a game. But if you don't lose that fear, you will never improve," he noted.

Reyes recalled one of his most difficult moments when his father passed away during the 2011 EuroBasket. He called the incident "the hardest blow of his career."

"I still remember being in Murcia and receiving the news. My parents always went to see me at all the tournaments and I thought that the best tribute I could pay him was to play that EuroBasket and win it for him. Of course, the support and love that my colleagues gave me was very important," he remembered.

Of the two EuroLeague trophies Reyes won with Los Blancos in 2015 and 2018, he singles out the first cup.

"We had just lost two in a row," he explained. "Also because the club had not won it for many years. And finally, because we were able to do it in Madrid, in front of our fans. But the second was also important because of how it was achieved. We finished fifth and then, we came back against Panathinaikos in the quarterfinals after they beat us in the first game."

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