Bienvenu Letuni dies, the 2.24 player who did not become a professional: "He had a kiosk in Kinsasa"

"A few months ago he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was undergoing treatment. In recent days he was very weak, he had lost a lot of weight. His death is really sad because he had just started several projects and was very excited. At the end of 2019 he set up a tobacconist in Kinsasa, the city where he lived, and bought a piece of land to plant vegetables. The coronavirus hit him at the beginning of those businesses, but he was beginning to see the light. It's really sad."

Talk to EL MUNDO

, former player of Ferrol, Joventut or Valladolid, about one of the young people he sponsored,

, and his death this Sunday in Kinsasa, the capital of the Congo, at the age of 28.

Letuni was not a professional, in fact he did not even make his debut in the ACB, but the memory of him remains in Spanish basketball due to his extraordinary size.

When he signed for Joventut in 2009, at the age of 15, he was 2.24 meters tall and was capable of crushing the hoop without lifting his heels off the ground.

"He came from a rural area [of a city called Bandundu], without many resources. In 2009 I was already working at YouFirst [a representation agency] recruiting talent and we had set up a training program for players and coaches in Kinsasa. He came. Bienvenu and, obviously, with his size, we wondered if he could have a professional career. We talked to Joventut and they agreed to give him a trial. Then he was there for almost four seasons."

The return to Kinshasa

But he did not jump to the first team.

With acromegaly, the same disease that Roberto Dueñas suffered from, he soon began to suffer from physical problems, such as a dangerous obstruction of the optic nerve, and he had to undergo surgery.

In the lower categories of Penya he had some outstanding moments and shared a team with today's referents such as

, but after the operations, Letuni's body could not withstand the rhythm that elite sport demands.

Shortly after his 18th birthday, his career was over.

And he returned to his country.

"The Joventut behaved very well with him, especially three people,

and

. For Bienvenu it was a hard blow, especially in the emotional aspect, having to leave the sport, but they helped him a lot in the transition That's why he came to set up those businesses and was finding his way in Kinsasa. He is the example of how difficult it is to have a career in professional basketball, even if you are 2.24 meters tall. It is very sad that he is no longer with us."

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