Chacho, the interview: “The connection I had here was different”

Chacho Rodriguez: in 2019 after winning the second of three EuroLeague championships you left Moscow and chose to come to Milan. Why?

"I was playing for a powerhouse, CSKA Moscow, and before I played for Real Madrid. But going to a team where I felt I could create something special was what motivated me the most. I saw great potential in this team, in the city, the fans, a figure like Ettore. All this gave me the energy to be totally motivated in the choice I made. I wanted to create something new."

What idea did you have of Milan? What attracted you?

"I’ve always said and thought that playing here is like playing at Madison Square Garden in some ways. I’m talking about the arena, the fans, the lights, the beautiful city around it. Everyone wants to play well here, everyone prepares for this game, even when it’s not crucial for the standing, it doesn’t matter, everyone wants to play well here, everyone is looking forward to this game. I looked forward to it too, because the atmosphere has always been exciting."

In your first year in Milan there were some exciting moments, especially at the beginning in the EuroLeague.

"We were all motivated to make this team a winner straight away. We came to Milan to work very early: our preseason was exceptional, we won I think all the games, and at the beginning of the EuroLeague we had an impressive run. And so, I immediately fell in love with the idea of ​​playing at the Forum, with the fans. It was immediately an amazing relationship; I didn’t expect what I had with Milan. I thought they would help me, but not to the level I experienced in those first few weeks. The first impact with this environment was amazing."

Then before the season was interrupted by COVID there were also negative moments.

"But from that moment, after the first impact, whether things went well or badly, the path had been opened. We struggled a little bit in the Italian league. Honestly, I wasn’t familiar with what playing in a new league would require. In the Italian Cup we disappointed, I thought we would have done better but instead we lost the semi-final to Venezia, who however had done very well in previous years. Ultimately, I think that disappointment gave us the energy to try to improve. Then there was the COVID outbreak that brought us even closer. I’m not just saying the team, but also the staff, the people who worked at the club. We were now a family. We also felt the closeness of the people. We built a great team during that time. The following season we went back to work even earlier. Our fantastic EuroLeague season was born there. And even if we then lost the championship series against Virtus, I think that also made us stronger and more determined to continue chasing the championship."

What was it like being in Milan during the pandemic outbreak?

"It was a strange time, no one knew what to expect. Every day we had to adapt to something new. Everyone asked us for news from other countries, from Spain, from everywhere. But we didn’t know how to answer, everything exploded after the Valencia game. After that game, the Italian league was suspended, too. From that moment everything became more complicated, we also felt the pain that people were feeling, their suffering. We knew what was happening, but realizing how big the problem was is another thing."

You said that the great 2020/21 season was born in those months.

"My only regret is that we didn’t have fans to fill the stands. But we felt it was important to give them that kind of season, because so many people were suffering. In Italy, in Milan, we had a lot of restrictions, more than anywhere else, and we felt the responsibility to be responsible, professional and possibly win games and make our people happy. It was an amazing season, we finished third in the EuroLeague, the Final Four. It was a season I won’t forget."

Do you regret what happened in Cologne? The missed shot by Kevin Punter, the one made by Cory Higgins. It was a matter of one single shot.

"In the Final Four we went there, and we competed. In a Final Four setting, anything can happen. I know this well, I have experienced it many times. There are times when things go good or bad for you, times when a team is better or just more fortunate. We weren’t lucky in the Barcelona game. But you can’t be disappointed when you try hard to win, when you try with all your heart. But it’s true we had good feelings playing against Barcelona, and against Efes, who won, because we beat them twice that season. Who knows? But I will always remember the journey of that season, not the end."

What happened in the 2021 championship series?

"As a player, I have never looked for excuses, but sometimes there are things that you can’t see from the outside and they are the ones that punish you. The 2021 Final Four was strange. We had to go to Cologne one day early. We had problems with the return flight and had to stay an extra day. Furthermore, the semifinal with Venezia was played before and after the Final Four. The mistake we made was trying to do everything quick. We wanted to play straight away, and this penalized us, because we had no energy. In Game 1, Virtus had arrived prepared. They had had more time to prepare. They had more energy and played better than us. When we went to Bologna, we had nothing left in the tank."

In the EuroLeague we had another great opportunity the following year. But there were many injuries at the wrong time.

"Yes, it was another great season in the EuroLeague, despite many problems: we lost first Moraschini and then Mitoglou. In the playoffs we found Efes, the reigning champions, who would win again. I think we made a mistake in Game 1. There was the soccer derby that day, the arena wasn’t empty, but at the same time I think people didn’t realize the importance of that game. And maybe not even us. We lost that game, and we also lost Melli and Delaney to injuries. We showed a lot of pride in the second game. We won. And then we had chances in Istanbul too, but we didn’t make it. They were a great team; we weren’t at the top then. Yes, this hurts."

And we moved on to the Italian league championship chase.

"We had been chasing the championship for three years at that point. After the defeat of the previous season, for a year, every time I went to bed at night I thought about my personal problems and then I repeated to myself "This year we have to win the scudetto". I wanted it with all my strength. I had good feelings. For the second time in a row, we had won the Italian Cup. Virtus, however, was a strong team, in fact they finished the regular season at the top. But winning the title here, at home, was special. I remember the semi-final against Sassari. We beat Sassari on the road and that night, after the win I went on YouTube to watch Olimpia’s past celebrations. I saw what had happened and from that moment on I just thought that I wanted to have that experience too. We had the chance to win the scudetto in Bologna, but at the same time I was torn. I wanted to win that night, but I told myself it would be more fun to win the title at home. It was a risk, if we had lost Game 6 maybe we would have lost Game 7 too, but winning here, with all our people, my family, my friends, the fans who really pushed us to reach that goal, was the culmination of the season."

Let’s talk about your relationship with the fans.

"When I came here, everyone told me that the people in Milan are not as hot as in other places. But since my first game with Zalgiris, in all the big games, in that Game 6, the fans were fantastic. The Forum is a vertical arena, and people are really into the game. And so, we won that home game, the championship game, after a few years of waiting in Milan: it was magical."

In Game 6, you did incredible things including that three-pointer against Pajola from way downtown.

"Those are the games you feel you are going to win. You don’t know how or why but you will win them. There are games that you realize you will lose, others that you think you will win but you know there is the possibility of losing. But not that one. Everything was perfect. I knew we would win. We had players like Kyle, Gigi, Shavon, they were ready that night. But so was the coach, all the staff, all the people. We were ready to win and to celebrate. Everything went our way. There are easier shots that you miss in other situations, but not in that situation, when you feel you have the confidence to hit such difficult shots."

Was it difficult to leave?

"It was difficult, because you rarely feel at home when you live in another country. And we felt like we were truly at home. My third child was born here, my wife loves Italy, we had a group of close-knit friends outside of basketball, school, life, basketball. Everything was perfect. But I wanted to try to finish the way I wanted. After three years, I felt I had closed a circle, everything had been perfect from the first day to the last. It was the perfect time for a change. Leaving was also sad, because we were fine, but I repeat: it was the right time. The team also needed to look at things from a different perspective. It was the right thing to do."

But what if Real Madrid hadn’t been there?

"Returning to Madrid gave me the opportunity to close the circle in Madrid too. But we were in a situation where I had to take a step back and decide what was best for me, for the team, for everyone involved, so that everything ended in the best way. And going back to Madrid was the perfect end."

Why do people everywhere appreciate you so much?

"No, no, I want to clarify this. I was treated well everywhere, of course in Madrid, in Moscow, in the NBA, but what I had here was special, it was amazing. From the first minute, I think people felt that I had come to help, in a responsible, professional way. And this relationship that I had with the people of the Forum, I’ve never had it anywhere, I’ve never seen it, it pushed me to be better, to play with confidence. I think it was an emotional thing, which goes beyond basketball and what happens on the court. People understood that I was really involved in the team."

Has your career exceeded your own expectations?

"All the decisions I made as a player were determined by circumstances, by situations. I was lucky that I had the chance to do what I wanted to do. If I had made different decisions maybe things would have turned out differently. But I’m happy, proud, of the career I’ve had. I played for Real Madrid; Estudiantes gave me the opportunity to emerge; I played in the NBA; in Moscow, in Olimpia Milano with all its history and I was able to have a very strong bond with this club. Today I am really happy. It’s been twenty years, a long time, and I’ve been doing what I love to do. I was lucky."