By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Spanish swingman and former EuroLeague Rising Star Alex Abrines announced his return to playing basketball with an emotional video he posted on Twitter.
Abrines, 25, was waived by the Oklahoma Thunder in February following a mutual decision taken between the club and the player. He was reported to part ways with the Thunder to focus on a “personal matter.”
Now, Abrines says he’s ready to come back in action. In the video, that shows him confessing his emotions to a basketball, he mentions that he arrived at a point where he “even got to hate” his once beloved “friend” – the ball – following years of “indestructible friendship.” He specifically says that “a few months ago everything broke into a thousand pieces” because the ball “started to fright” him.
Abrines reveals that he sought professional help in order to “end the nightmare” and recover from what troubled him until he finally rediscovered his love for the game again. The “happiness” he used to fee when playing.
“Dear ball, I’m back. It’s me, Alex.”
#Queridobalón? pic.twitter.com/AWnh5JDxeq
— Alex Abrines (@alexabrines) July 3, 2019
Abrines played 185 games in the NBA with the Thunder from 2016 to 2019. He averaged 5.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 16.0 minutes over 174 regular season appearances, plus 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes in 11 playoff appearances.
Prior to joining the Thunder, Abrines spent five seasons playing in EuroLeague with Unicaja Malaga (2011-2012) and Barcelona (2012-2016). He established himself as one of the finest young wings in the competition and won the Rising Star award in 2016.