Sergio Llull (Mahón, Menorca; 36 years old) will be a father for the third time at the beginning of July. The third girl. “A three-pointer,” jokes the guard of the Spanish team and captain of Real Madrid, the man of the impossible baskets at the last second. “I hope he comes with the Games under his arm,” says Llull while he talks to EL PAÍS lying on the physio’s stretcher after training. Scariolo’s team is seeking qualification through the pre-Olympic tournament that takes place between this Tuesday and Sunday (the injured Abrines and Parra have been the last to be ruled out). Lebanon, Angola, Poland, Finland and the Bahamas complete a tournament from which only the winner obtains a ticket to the Games. Llull, international 163 times and winner of seven medals with the Family, is the repository of a volcanic character.
Ask. What is Sergio Llull like off the court?
Answer. I have two personalities. One is a player, with the attitude of always wanting to win. And the other is a calm, family-oriented guy who does the same thing as any father today. I have two girls, six and four years old, and another one on the way. Also a girl. It’s a triple! With them there is no free time. If I’m not training, playing or traveling, I’m with them every minute.
Q. How does he transform when he plays?
R. Because I like to compete and win. I’ve been like that since I was little. That’s why on the court I always try to give my all, play at 100% and go for it. I notice that when I’m playing I transform a little. I go from being shy and calm off the field to being energetic and competitive on it.
P. How do you feel with the ball in your hands when there are only a few seconds left and you have to score?
R. In those moments I am calm because it is a situation that I like, in which I feel comfortable. I know that I have the trust of my teammates and the coach. They know I can do it. I put the weight of the team on my shoulders and try to choose the best option for the good of the team. I have made several but I have also failed some. You have to live with that error if it doesn’t come in.
P. Is it a matter of faith?
R. Yes, of faith and trust. And a bit of unconsciousness, of absence of fear. I’m not asking myself: “What if I fail, what will happen?” Well, if I miss, I’ve missed a basket and I’m going to go to the next game. You can’t go back. You have to be very sure that you want to live with those two options, that of being the hero and scoring the basket to win or being the villain for having missed the shot that makes your team lose.
Q. And what do you feel when you score the decisive basket?
R. Scoring a triple at the last second is like being a child again, it’s a return to childhood. It’s what you dream of since you were little, that countdown in the schoolyard, or at home, from five to one, shooting and when the ball is in the air sound the horn. It’s what I did as a child and now it’s what I try to do in those extreme situations. I’m there for the team.
P. How does the mind work?
R. In no special way. It is not an aspect that I particularly work on, I have that type of mentality whereby I relativize everything quite a bit. Not even when I win am I very happy and I don’t care about anything else, nor when I lose am I sunk and the world ends there. I always try to have a balance, not to be affected by what others will say. I have had a career that I am very proud of and a spectacular family, I consider myself privileged. I have never had a moment of having to work mentally like other athletes do.
P. Is the mental aspect decisive?
R. Of course. The mind also scores points. The basket starts in the head. If you don’t have the play you’re going to make in your mind, according to the defenses, that basket will never happen. You also need intuition and being mentally fresh.
Q. At 36 years old, where are you physically?
R. Very well. It goes with each one. This year I have felt even better than last. It is a law of life that at some point I will have to retire, just like Rudy and Chacho. Sporting life expires, so I have to take advantage of this time at Madrid and in the national team.
P. What is it to be a leader?
R. Lead by example. You can be a verbal leader who knows what to do but doesn’t do it. It’s better to lead by example. If a youngster sees Rudy diving for the ball, or hitting a block or rebound, how could he not do it with fresh legs? The leader must also know how to give a shout from time to time or a pat on the back for encouragement.
P. Who invented the name “tangerine” to define his shots at the last second?
R. It was on social networks. Pablo Lolaso, the parody of our former coach, started calling those crazy shots at the end of possession, which sometimes didn’t touch the rim, tangerines. He was joking and it stayed.
Q. Are you warned about overconfidence when playing a pre-Olympic tournament at home?
R. We have been warned. The organizer has never qualified for the Games. We must be prepared. It is a situation we have never experienced before.
P. How do you see the generational change in the national team?
R. It happens year after year, it is not a drastic change of changing 15 players from one year to the next. When I came in as a young man, there were Pau, Juan Carlos Navarro, Garbajosa and Felipe Reyes. Now the new entrants are adapting, we veterans try to teach them the Family values that we boast so much about, so that they can then pass them on to future generations.
Q. How did you say goodbye to Rudy and Sergio Rodríguez?
R. It was a nostalgic moment. There are many battles together. When players like that, with that impact on world basketball, legends, retire, it makes you sad, but at the same time it makes you happy for their career.
Q. As captain of Madrid, what do you think of the Mario Hezonja case?
R. Mario is a phenomenon. I ignore the assumptions about whether or not he had signed with another team. Every summer there are names… Mario has renewed for five years with Madrid and for us it is great news because he is one of the best players in Europe, with character. He is perfect for what Real Madrid represents.
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