In an interview with Georgios Kyriakidis of TalkBasket, former Thunder guard Alex Abrines says he hasn’t given up on a potential return to the NBA.
Abrines returned to Spain after being released and signed with Barcelona in July. He picked up a high-profile teammate in former NBA forward Nikola Mirotic, and the team is cruising through the EuroLeague with a 19-6 record.
“I think I needed a change, although I had some great times in Oklahoma,” Abrines said. “After what happened with my depression, it was tough. I needed a change, to come back home and I think FC Barcelona was the best team. I knew the club, I have friends in Barcelona and it’s pretty close to my hometown. I needed a change of air.”
Abrines describes European basketball as more intense than the NBA because the schedule is shorter and each game is more important. He also “missed playing for so many trophies,” with the King’s Cup, the Spanish League title and the Euroleague all at stake, rather than just the NBA championship.
Still, Abrines enjoyed the chance to compete against the best players in the world and would consider an NBA return in 2021 once he hits free agency again. He signed with Barcelona for two years, along with a third-year option.
“I haven’t closed the door on the NBA,” he said. “Right now, I’m focused on FC Barcelona. I’ve got one more year with them, but you never know what’s going to happen in the future. If I got the chance to go back, maybe I would take it. But it’s not an answer that I have right now.”
Smelly bananas
Your mommy not hug you enough?
No she was always there for me. A fine woman.
They will need someone to replace Roberson next year.
He should specify FC Barcelona Bàsquet since everyone knows that FC Barcelona is a powerhouse football (known as soccer in the US) team.
This is the USA. Soccer
This is like saying that (in a page that deals only with basketball) you cannot simply say “the USA team” because there are USA team’s in other sports.
Doesn’t FC stand for Futbol Club? Why would they call a basketball team FC Barcelona? Is it like that foot volleyball they play in Brasil?
The only stuff I know about soccer is that it is the team names sound more like a NASDAQ stock than a team name and watching it is more often than not a cure for insomnia.
Notice I didn’t say “we know” in my comment? Because I was speaking for myself and not everyone else. No on elected you spokesperson for “everyone,” so just speak for yourself.
Hate to change the subject, but this guy could have helped the Sixers this year.
Not really. They only need 1 Korkmaz. Abrines isn’t anything more than a regular season 9th man off the bench
No wonder he got depressed living in Oklahoma, for sure Barcelona is a cure for depression, beautiful city, great beaches, best food… no doubt a great life!!!