Juancho Hernangomez, also known for his role as Bo Cruz in the movie "Hustle", has returned to Europe by signing with Panathinaikos Athens on a deal through the end of the 2024-25 season. Hernangomez (2.06 meters, 27 years old) has played in the NBA ever since being selected with the 15th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Spaniard is coming off a season with the Toronto Raptors in which he averaged 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes across 42 appearances. Having never played in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague before, he will make his competition debut with the Greens this season.
Juancho 'Bo Cruz' Hernangomez signs with Panathinaikos
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Juancho Hernangomez's journey to Athens
A regular member of the Spanish national team, Juancho is the younger of the two Hernangomez brothers; his brother, Willy, 29, joined FC Barcelona earlier this summer. Juancho started his career with Estudiantes in his hometown of Madrid before his NBA career got underway. Hernangomez was drafted by the Denver Nuggets ahead of the 2016-17 season and then remained with the team until February 2020, when he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The forward went on to have the best period in his NBA career, averaging 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals across 14 games in the 2019-20 season, which led to him re-signing with Minnesota on a three-year deal in November 2020.
The following August, Hernangomez was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and then one month later to the Boston Celtics. He remained with Boston until January 2022, when he was once again involved in a trade, this time to the San Antonio Spurs. But, he was traded again one month later, as he saw out the season with the Utah Jazz. Last summer, Hernangomez joined Toronto on a one-year contract. Now, seven years after leaving Europe, Hernangomez is coming back to play for Panathinaikos.
A European and world champion
Hernangomez helped Spain win a bronze medal at the 2013 U18 European Championship and then a silver at both the 2014 and 2015 U20 European Championships. As a member of the senior national team, he has been a member of some teams that will never be forgotten. After winning a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2017, Hernangomez came away with a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and then EuroBasket 2022. Hernangomez scored 27 points in last summer's EuroBasket championship game as Spain defeated France 88-76.