Spain basketball player Juancho Hernangomez passed the necessary tests to participate in this summer’s Olympic Games after suffering a left shoulder injury, but now the Minnesota Timberwolves – the NBA team he plays for – have not given him permission to play in the tournament.
As such, the 25-year-old will now return to Madrid on the eve of Spain‘s first game at the Olympics, with new Valencia signing Xabi Lopez-Arostegui coming in to replace Juancho.
The Timberwolves’ negative stance
Jorge Garbajosa, the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), could not hide his disappointment with the Timberwolves after the way in which everything regarding Juancho has unfolded.
“Forty-eight hours ago we received an official notification from the Wolves [saying] that the player will not participate in these Games,” Garbajosa said.
“Until then we had not received anything. Quite the opposite. We have tried to solve the problem by finding a solution for all parties: for the player and his clear desire to play, for the peace of mind of the team and for the federation.
“The negotiation has been nothing more than proposals from the FEB and the player’s agent. From the Wolves‘ side there was no counter-proposal. Just a resounding no.
“We have had countless medical meetings with the Wolves and we have not received a no as an answer at any time.
“In fact, we have received yeses such as those received by six people on 18 July in Las Vegas. Six.
“This is a problem of people, who are not doctors, like their president of operations [Gersson Rosas], who don’t want Juancho to go to the Games.”
The injury was initially picked up during Spain‘s warm-up friendly against France, when a collision with Moustapha Fall saw Juancho have to leave the game with a visibly sore shoulder.
After being initially informed that he would not be able to play at the Olympics, the forward worked around the clock in order to try and be a part of Sergio Scariolo‘s side in Tokyo.
Juancho‘s brother, Willy, is also a member of the Spain squad and he voiced his frustration about the situation with some tweets, with one showing a series of angry face emojis while another has the hashtag #FreeJuancho.
