“What’s strange is my generation; now they have to find their place”

Jose Manuel Calderon He was four years old when he was photographed with Essie Hollis And Terry Whitetwo American basketball players from Baskonia in the 1980s. He was 13 years old when he decided to emigrate Victoriaalmost 700 kilometers from his hometown and 24 years old when he changed the initials of the PBR for those of the NBAAt 38, with 935 games behind him in the Mecca of world basketball, he decides to retire.

The journey began in Villanueva de la Serena, Badajozthe same starting point of the current president of MAPFRE, the company with which he presents the “675”, his “most ambitious social project in terms of equipment”, as he himself says. All this in collaboration with the Foundation of the aforementioned company, whose commitment to inclusion and diversity has reigned for more than 90 years.

Calderón left the courts in 2019, although he never left basketball. He became a special advisor to Michele Robertsthe executive director of the league’s players’ union (NBPA). His office in Sixth Avenue in New York He drew a global vision of the gigantic bubble that is the NBA. Three years later, he signed for the Cleveland Cavalierswhose moment in 2022 was delicate, as an advisor to the board of directors.

His journey is the triumph of a mentality that has not evolved over time. The spirit that led him to transform a weakness, shooting, into an excellent virtue – his record for the best free throw percentage in a season (98.1%) still stands in the NBA – is the same that led him to maintain a close relationship with basketball.

After the presentation of ‘675’, Calderón takes out the scalpel and explains exclusively with EL ESPAÑOL the current situation of Spanish basketball, the generational change and his current figure. That of a leader. He sits calmly and speaks confidently during the conversation. “The young people need time for the cogs to work. Perhaps, because of our generation, they could not arrive earlier because we did not let them go. Everything takes time,” he analyzes about the current Spanish team and that of viens.

Ask.- This new social project seems the most ambitious of those he has promoted.

Answer.- Because of the size, probably not. In Extremadura we have built playgrounds in hospitals, etc., but it is true that there was no project of 20,000 square meters anywhere and, above all, because of all that we can put there. So nothing ambitious of course. It is a very beautiful challenge. I think we have formed a very good team and especially with the people who approach us. Well, let’s hope that there will be many others who want to get closer.

Q.- Spain has lost weight on the international scene after the results of the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games. What about the current situation?

A.- We have to understand that we have once again participated in another Olympic Games, in which only 12 teams from all over the world participate. It is true that he was lost. He missed a specific match and you are eliminated from the quarter-finals, but I think that is like everything. What was strange was my generation, with so many people of the same age. The logic is to have two championships better than others. Spain is a great team in which we have been the same for so long that in the end, whether you like it or not, there comes a time when this change has to be noticed. We will see what happens in the next four years, but I think we are living this transition period. I think there are young players with a lot of quality, but they also need time. Maybe even because of our generation, they did not come before because we did not let them come. So, I think everything takes time for the gears to start working better again. Now they have to find their place.

Q.- How do you see this generational change that underlines it? Is it being done correctly?

A.- I think what happens there is something more normal, that is, two players come out one year. Then another player, another year. And then another… that’s what usually happens in all national teams. The strange thing is that in my generation, there were five, six or seven players, all from the same year. The same generation that could live in time. What usually happens is that you put youngsters and veterans together and you have two, three, four or five good years, then the veterans leave and others arrive. That’s what usually happens with many teams and I think we are in that case. We have youngsters, yes, but some still have two years. Others are arriving now, others have already had four. So we have to see how to put all that together to compete to the maximum.

Q.- Do you see them taking the step to participate in the Los Angeles Games in 2028? A priori, the United States would arrive without its great leaders.

A.- It’s too long. We have to wait. I mean, I think we have a lot of games in between. Not only in the national team, but also in the clubs, for these players to continue to grow as players in their respective teams. We’ll see and see. It’s very difficult to qualify for a game, we’ve seen it before. I hope we get the opportunity again with the different tournaments where we have to be able to arrive and be among those 12 again to be able to fight. Then, once you participate in the tournaments, anything can happen.

Q.- Let’s talk about his time in the NBA. How do you remember your arrival? What was the most complicated thing?

A.- English -laughs-. The most difficult thing and maybe the only one. Everything else is completely normal, especially for the athlete because in the end there are schedules, a way of working… When you’re there, it’s not like here. The fact of work, friends, that kind of thing, but nothing else really. I was also lucky to go to Toronto, which is a much more European city, probably than if I had gone directly to the United States. But the adaptation was not so complicated in that sense. The language was the most difficult thing for me, then the schedules, etc. Your own work almost forces you to adapt to what exists. And even if you want to have dinner at ten o’clock, you have to have dinner at seven o’clock, because many places close at ten o’clock. Then you gradually adapt to everyday life.

Q.- In 2019, he started working for the NBA union. Did you realize the respect the players have for you by representing them?

A.- Yes, totally. When they first called me, it was important to be part of this association to learn. It gave a little more not only respect, but also friendship, conversations… Many things that I had done with them outside and that I could give a hand to. In the end, it was being able to be in the office and think of them to help me in any way they could. And the truth is that they were two very good years. A great experience and well, I have a great relationship with everyone who is still in the office and in the daily life of the association.

Q.- Three years later, in 2022, he signed as an advisor to the Cavs. What’s it like working for a Cleveland franchise while living in New York?

A.- This year I will have to go more. A few days a week. Normally I am there a week or ten days a month. The flight is an hour, so pretty easy. I am the one from the Front Office and basketball operations. I am a little bit in the Union. I take care of the players and the coach and I take care of the sporting direction, but where I spend the most time is on the strategy. The signings for next year, the draft problems… It is true that I do not do too much scouting because we have a lot of recruiters, but then I monitor the performance of all the players. In the end, a little sporting direction. Here, it would be a little bit of sports management of preparation so that the team makes the best decisions. I do my part so that my boss is informed and has all the points of view to make a decision.

Q.- Do you see yourself working in a Spanish team with such numbers?

A.- The truth is I don’t know. Right now I have a lot of other things that I’m involved in. I’m very happy there, right now I’m learning a lot and I’m doing well with my family in the United States. I don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s going to happen. It’s not something that has the objective of doing this or that in this part. In other words, I’m really very open to see what happens, to see what opportunities may arise. But the truth is that I’m happy there.

Q.- Let’s talk about three specific names. The first one, Luka Doncic. Do you see him as an MVP this season?

A.- The MVP has a lot of things. There are too many factors. If it were in numbers, of course, he could have been MVP for several seasons now. That’s in the conversation, actually, but often it’s also the union of everything. What your team does in the regular league, the games played… I think those are other details that, often, are also luck and everything going well. I think that will be in the conversation, for sure. Well, he’s playing at an incredible level that he’s seen in recent years.

Q.- With the exception of Aldama, there are currently no Spanish players in the NBA. In other years, there were up to eight. How do you interpret this?

A.- That’s normal. These are cycles that happen in all sports and everywhere and probably in three years we’ll have four or five players in the NBA again. Either we’ll get to eight or we’ll get back to one. But I think that means that what was strange was what we did, that we had too many. Not too much in a bad way, but in the same year, which is what allowed us to stay at this level for so long.

Q.- The last one. How do you think Jordi Fernandez, the first Spanish coach in the NBA, will perform at the helm of Brooklyn?

A.- Sure. Jordi is not from Spain, he has been living in the United States for a long time. I think he has been through every position that a coach can have for a franchise. He has done an incredible job everywhere he has been. He has the opportunity to rebuild, to start from scratch in a team. I think it is very important to be able to create your own culture. To start, how you want to do things and I think this is a very good place to do it. I hope it goes very well for you. I will see him a lot this year -laughs-.