Basketball player Jaime Echnik He became the first Colombian to play in an NBA game. The quarterback enjoyed this experience with the Washington Wizards jersey in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season.
The man from Barranquilla was present for three minutes in the Wizards’ 110-93 victory at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Nearly four months after that historic night of Colombian sports, Jaime Ichnik was a guest at the ESPN show, where he talked about his beginnings in basketball and the people who have always supported him; Among other topics.
“When I started in basketball, I wasn’t bad, I was bad. I was the most uncoordinated thing you could ever see in your life. And in terms of growth, I started making a little bit more of a difference.”
“Then I started paying more attention to training, in all that sort of thing, and my name in Columbia started being heard that someone told me I had to jump to another level.”
“Some people put ideas into my head and I took them seriously to make it happen and here I am.”said the athlete.
In addition, he emphasized that during his career he had very important people on his side, who always supported him and believed in his talent.
“I give credit to my family, who have accompanied me throughout this journey, to my close friends, to that group of people I also mentioned before, because it is no secret that emotional athletes off the field are a rollercoaster where we have to deal with gaming stress, fatigue and the like.”
“There were a few times I wanted to throw in the towel, but thanks to these people, they opened my eyes and showed me that it was tangible to me, that I was capable. So I took it very seriously, listened to them and took credit for them”He said.
The pivot also talked about the activities he does when he is resting and doesn’t want to know anything about basketball.
“In this area of detoxification, my friends are key because we go out and go to the river and do any kind of activity outside of basketball,” the 25-year-old said.
Finally, Echenique has struck a balance regarding the present of basketball in our country, assuring that in recent years the promises of youth are being supported.
“Colombian basketball is growing, not as fast as it should, but it is growing; you have to take credit for the good things and highlight the negatives as well. There is still a lot of development to be done, the training schools are very important and I have been to many of the teams that are setting records. It invests in new talents and invests time in order for these new talents to emerge.”is done.