The FC Bayern Munich big man talks about growing up in the Republic of Congo, winning an NBA championship and his decision to play in the EuroLeague.
Serge Ibaka visits The Crossover
Serge Ibaka is one of the most interesting men in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. From his childhood in the Republic of the Congo, beginning a professional basketball career in Europe, winning the 2019 NBA championship and, of course, his viral How Hungry Are You? TV show, Ibaka has many great stories to tell. He gets to all of those and more in this riveting hour-long conversation with Joe Arlauckas on The Crossover.
Early on, their conversation veers into the environment Ibaka was raised in Brazzaville, where there was no belief that basketball would be his ticket to anything in the future. Except for Ibaka, whose faith helped him stay focused and pursue his dream.
[9:30] “I am talking about me personally. I believe in God. And then I believe in my hard work. I believe that this is going to work. I have to be patient. It’s all those things that go together,” Ibaka reflected on the recipe for his success.
Ibaka relayed the story of how he made it to Europe. There was a French basketball player whose father worked in Brazzaville. When playing pickup ball during one of his visits, he noticed Ibaka’s potential and eventually helped find him a club to join in France. From there Ibaka moved to Spain, first with L’Hospitalet.
[16:45] “When I moved to Spain, I was like, ‘You know what? This is my destiny,’” Ibaka told Arlauckas.
“The only thing in my mind was I have to figure out how to do it to make it as far as I can. And I am going to do whatever it takes. I am going to give my best,” he explained before adding “It’s going to inspire a lot of people back home. It’s going to inspire a lot of kids.”
Ibaka developed into one of the best prospects in the game and by the end of the season, he was wowing scouts at showcases. He was selected with the 24th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, but elected to play one more season in Spain, this time with Manresa.
At Manresa, Ibaka took his game to another level that year and when he eventually debuted in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ibaka was ready. He would become and three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection and in 2012 helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals. Despite playing alongside stars Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, Ibaka and co. lost to LeBron James’s Miami Heat in five games. That young core thought it would have many more chances to challenge for the crown, but it was not to be.
Ibaka’s next chance for a championship came in 2019 when he was with the Toronto Raptors. This time he was in a different stage of his career and when he and his teammates fell behind the Milwaukee Bucks 0-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, Ibaka stepped in and showed his leadership.
[33:40] “I had been in that situation many, many times. So during that moment, all I was thinking was to try to be out there, try to keep my team spirit up,” Ibaka recalled. “Everybody was down. The energy was down after that 0-2. So I had to do something.”
After Ibaka rallied the troops with a memorable speech, Toronto came back to take the series and then defeated the Golden State Warriors in the finals. Ibaka played a total of 14 seasons in the NBA for five different clubs and was planning for a 15th before he got a call from a former coach.
[39:30] “What brought me back here I think one of the biggest reasons was Pablo Laso. I know Pablo since Madrid when I went to play there during the NBA lockout. I kind of knew him already as a person, as a coach,” Ibaka explained. And even though Ibaka was not ready to field offers outside of the NBA at the time, Laso convinced him: “I don’t know if this guy has a magic talk, but he was able to change my mind.”
Ibaka came to Munich shortly before the start of the season, but quickly became a force. He leads Bayern this season in scoring, rebounding, blocks and PIR. After playing so long on the other side of the Atlantic, he has loved the experience of playing in Europe’s premier competition.
[46:05] “Oh man. The EuroLeague, every game is like a playoff already. It’s crazy. You have to come out to play every game. It’s crazy fun,” Ibaka said.
With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Mike James, Lorenzo Brown and Mario Hezonja; coaching greats such as Georgios Bartzokas, Dimitris Itoudis, and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. Ibaka is the fifth guest this season after Nigel Hayes-Davis, Kemba Walker, James Nunnally and Chima Moneke.
The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, iTunes, Audioboom, Spotify, Deezer, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, CastBox, iVoox and other platforms.