By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The newcomer of Khimki Moscow Region in Jonas Jerebko revealed in an interview with Izvestia that his basketball idol growing up was Andrei Kirilenko:
“No, I don’t know him but I played against him. He was one of my idols when I was growing up, I tried to be like him. He was the player whose game I expected to play with very great impatience when I was in the NBA. I even have a jersey with his autograph. He was one of those who I greatly admired, yes”, he said.
The 32-year-old also noted that he is optimistic about the upcoming season and that Khimki can get far: “Well, in general, I will leave my personal goals to myself, and the team, as I said, is good. We are able to defeat any European club. Whether it be CSKA, Real Madrid or Fenerbahce … The main thing is to gain chemistry in the offseason and gain confidence in your abilities. I like Rimas’ game philosophy, so I really want to get to work as soon as possible.”
He is also looking forward to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and a different style of basketball in general: “For the past nine years, I mainly watched only NBA games. Due to the busy schedule, I no longer had time for anything. But I really want to play basketball in the European style. It suits me very well, so it will be nice to show the best qualities. In addition, in the Euroleague, unlike the NBA regulars, every game matters, and this adds me adrenaline.”