Maccabi Tel Aviv played against Real Madrid in early January in what was also a milestone: After 11 years and 25 games, Pablo Laso was not running the show this time for the Spaniards, having ended his association with the Los Blancos during the summer.
The love story between Laso and the club had an unfortunate ending: Toward the end of the previous season, he suffered a heart attack and could not participate in the playoff stages, and then in July, Real Madrid shocked European basketball by announcing that it would be dispensing with his services for "solely and exclusively medical reasons". Laso's jaw dropped when heard this, and he countered that he was still fit to coach the team and had all the necessary medical documents. In one fell swoop, one of the most glorious coaching careers in European professional basketball had come to an end. In his 11-year run as coach, he won the EuroLeague crowns, six Spanish League championships, five Super Cups, and on the way also managed to catapult players that would become superstars, chiefly among them Luka Dončić.
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Laso gave Israel Hayom an interview in which he opened up about his ordeal.
Q: Talk about the day you got the news about your termination?
"Of course, I didn't like it, and this was not a pleasant day. It came as a surprise. However, I realized that if the club is making this decision, I will have to abide by it. I understood immediately that I could not live off what I got as Real Madrid's coach and that I had to think about the future, which opens up opportunities for good things. Had I fallen in despair, I would have come off as someone who would forever be defined only as the former Real Madrid coach, but before that, I am Pablo Laso."
Q: I read somewhere that you have ruled out coming back even if they offer that.
"This was the main club in my career. If this happens in the future, I will consider. It would be hard to say no to such a club."
Q: Take us back to your medical event toward the end of the season and how it all unfolded?
"I woke up that day feeling unwell, so I called my doctor. After I had completed the medical checkups, the doctor informed me that I would have to stay in the hospital. Two days later I was discharged. Although a heart attack sounds like some big ordeal, I must confess that it did not cause such great suffering and I could not imagine that my life would be upended. All the doctor said was that I had to follow some basic rules on nutrition and sports. Ever since, I have been feeling great; everything is totally normal. I didn't run marathons before the heart attack and I don't plan on starting now."
Q: How has the time off been so far?
"It has been a big change to stop coaching after such a long period. For now, I am just enjoying this free time with the family. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and wonder why I am not heading out to a training session. Basketball is my life; it's my love. I miss coaching. What happened to me just comes with the territory of being a basketball coach. Someone told me, 'You are not really a basketball coach until you have been fired'."
Q: What was your greatest moment in those 11 years as the Real Madrid coach?
"Some would point to a particular cup or some other title, but for me the greatest moments were the day-to-day activities; just working with these players on a daily basis, with such great staff, and in such a great club. To be in this club for 11 years outshines any victory."
Q: When are you going to resume coaching, and where?
"This will happen only when it feels right. A coach always lives off his suitcases. I will only join a place that appreciates me and where I could move the team forward. This really doesn't have to be only in the EuroLeague; a coach is a coach. I don't like the approach that pigeonholes someone as just a EuroLeague coach and another one as a EuroCup coach."
A once-in-a-generation player
Q: Who do you expect to win the EuroLeague championship?
"Today Olympiacos is the best and most stable group but it can change. There are quite a few good teams out there, including some that I find hard to assess, just like the Red Star Belgrade, which became strong with Facundo Campazzo."
Q: What is your overall assessment of Real Madrid so far?
"They have signed big players during the summer, such as Mario Hezonja and Džanan Musa. They have a top-notch team; there is no doubt that they are viable contenders for the championship."
Q: What do you think about the upcoming game between Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv?
"It's an open game. Real Madrid will come to rebuild their confidence after two losses and they will have a difficult task. Maccabi is in good shape and they will know how to compensate for the injuries; Lorenzo Brown has a good grip on the team."
Q: When Maccabi's performance was subpar and there were rumors on Oded Kattash, your name also came up.
"I know that my name was passed around because I have friends in Tel Aviv who told me about it. This is flattering, but it is quite shocking that the Israeli media was talking about me while there is a coach like Oded Kattash who is doing a good job."
Q: And if such an opportunity surfaces in the future, would you want to arrive in Tel Aviv?
"If I could tell the future, I would have filled a lottery ticket. It would be a great honor to be considered by Maccabi."
And of course, we cannot let Laso go without talking about the crown jewel in his career: Dončić. Laso gave the Slovanian the keys when the latter was only 16 in the Real empire, and this helped catapult him to great success. "I am so proud of all the players that I have nurtured, but Luka is a once-in-a-generation kind of player. He joined us when he was 13, then developed and built his character. Luka is a source of great pride. His greatness is that he took something from all the giants he played with. From an early age, I saw that he could compete at every level. Real Madrid is a club that believes in young people and Luka is a great example of that."
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