After Canada eked out a narrow victory over Spain in the Paris Olympics, Rudy Fernandez has officially retired from basketball.
In what was his final game, the 39-year-old went scoreless in 15 minutes, going 0-5 from the field. However, fans are anything but proud of the way Fernandez represented his country in Paris. In fact, as a three-time Olympic medalist and a two-time FIBA World Cup gold medalist with Spain, he’s a legend.
What a legendary career Rudy Fernandez…👏🇪🇸
🥇🥇 FIBA World Cup
🥇🥇🥇🥇 EuroBasket
🥈🥈🥉 Olympic Games
🏆🏆🏆 Euroleague
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 ACB
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Copa del Rey
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Spanish SuperCup pic.twitter.com/epxBtu29Bn— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 2, 2024
Fernandez’s best statistical performance in Paris came against Greece on Jul. 30.
In an 84-77 victory —Spain’s only win of the tournament —he recorded 10 points on 3-6 shooting from the field. Two of his field goals, both 3-pointers, came in the fourth quarter.
Tremendo Rudy Fernández de un lado y Toliopoulos del otro.
En esta acción se golpeó fuerte Rudy que sale de la cancha en el momento donde era la mejor respuesta de España
España 71-69 a 5’20” pic.twitter.com/BvIdbrQEQL
— Javier Luchansky (@Javiluch4) July 30, 2024
Playing through back pain and a potential head injury, he left it all on the floor.
Decorated Rudy Fernandez National Announces Retirement
Outside of his team accolades, Fernandez has been incredibly successful at an individual level. In 2008, he was named the EuroCup Finals MVP, Liga ACB Top Scorer, and Liga ACB Defensive Player of the Year. This was all before he even made it to the NBA, as he was the 24th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Hitting the ground running, Fernandez went on to average 10.4 steals and 0.9 steals per game for the Portland Trail Blazers in his rookie season. He also made a scintillating 39.9 percent of his 3s on 5.1 attempts per game. Suffice it to say, he was ahead of his time, setting what was then the NBA rookie record for made 3-pointers (159). This led to him finishing 10th in Rookie of the Year voting and being named to the All-Rookie Second Team.
However, Fernandez’s NBA career quickly fizzled out after that.
He would only play two more seasons with the Blazers before being shipped to the Denver Nuggets as part of Portland’s package for Raymond Felton. After just one injury-shortened season with the Nuggets, he returned to Spain. Almost immediately, Fernandez was back in the saddle. In his first season with Real Madrid, he made the All-EuroLeague First Team and won the Spanish Supercup MVP award.
Now a three-time EuroLeague champion, seven-time Liga ACB champion, and nine-time Spanish SuperCup winner, he leaves the game as perhaps the best Spanish player in hoops history.
