He mulled over it for a long while, but in the end, Sergio Llull made the right decision.
The Spanish international passed on a possible move to the Houston Rockets to remain with Euroleague and Liga Endesa champions Real Madrid, where he has played since 2007.
And why would he need to move?
Just because it’s the NBA? The glitz, the glamour and where the best players in the world are housed.
For Llull, Madrid is his home; Spain is his home and the opportunity to win more titles and be a basketball great in a league that ranks second to the NBA is far more valuable than joining the Rockets to simply fade away on the bench, which was more than likely to happen.
The 27-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 assists in the 2014-15 Euroleague season, as he helped steer Real Madrid to glory on their home court last May.
Llull added to that Euroleague crown by capturing the Liga Endesa title in a 3-0 series sweep against rivals Barcelona
But this is more than Llull more than being a competitor for Real Madrid. It’s small comforts as well. The freedom to speak your first language, be around friends and family, looking around the streets of Spain’s capital city, where fans wear the team vests and shirts, donning “Llull, 23” on the back of them.
Llull is loved in Madrid, he is a household name.
Stick him in Houston, and Llull could end up like the fantastic talents that ended in the NBA – but came back to Europe in double quick time in order to better their careers – for them. Players like Llull’s team-mate at Real, Rudy Fernandez, Vassilis Spanoulis, who went to Houston during the 2006-07 season. Jan Vesely and most recently Pero Antic among the few.
With the skill set that he has, it would have been near criminal for Llull to spend the majority of his time on the bench watching James Harden play 40+ minute games, night in and night out.
Llull belongs in Madrid, and he knows it.
