Jorge Garbajosa
(Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, 1977) took up basketball because there were no football boots in his size, and he couldn't have done better.
To summarize: he is one of the greats of national basketball;
he led, together with Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro, that team that in 2006
made Spain world champions
and that was the protagonist of the so-called golden age of this sport;
he was in the
mecca
, the NBA;
in Italy;
in Russia... And, for almost six years, he has been in charge
of the Spanish Basketball Federation
,
whose selections are sponsored by the mobile and fiber operator Finetwork.
"A gram of doing is worth more than a kilo of saying."
With that phrase Garbajosa starts his Twitter profile, the same one that guides his steps as president of the FEB.
"We live in a time where
there is a lot of information and little communication
. The best way to communicate, and even more so in a position like this, is to do things.
I have a full ego from when I played
and I'm not here to feed it or for recognition" explains the man from Madrid.
"The day I leave I just aspire to do it with the feeling that
basketball is a little better than when I arrived and for that you have to do many things.
I could give speeches every day, but it is much more important to
work like a little ant
to Let the results speak for our sport", he adds.
These almost two three-year periods (complete in July) have been a continuous learning and the last time -with Covid and the war in Ukraine in between-,
"an accelerated master's degree",
he acknowledges.
"There have been circumstances that no one imagined and that have affected everyone and everything. At work, during the pandemic we had to make decisions without having any precedent and after spending many, many hours listening to the opinions of everyone, from players to clubs The great news is that
we
are still on our feet and, as Joaquín Sabina would say, with iron bad health"
.
He continues: "Basketball has gone through very hard, dramatic times.
We have suffered, but we are still on the road," says Jorge, with more musical references.
And it is that if there is something that the Madrilenian enjoys, it is with music and with what his city offers, convinced that it is valued more especially when many seasons have been spent abroad as it happened to him.
Today, Jorge Garbajosa
becomes our private guide and reveals his "Madrid" to us.
El Retiro, the place to which he always returns.ANTONIO HEREDIA
A RESTAURANT (OR TWO)
"Two. I've lived in Italy for four years and I haven't seen any restaurant there of the level that
Don Giovanni
has (Paseo de la Reina Cristina, 23), by Andrea Tumbarello. Because of the food, because of how he makes you feel as a host... It's wonderful. I always order
tagliatelle al tartufo nero di stagione
. The other restaurant is
Con amor
(Espronceda, 34), owned by a friend, Juanjo. I like their
traditional style of food with a different touch
, which is the same for a business lunch than for a dinner with friends. It's very cozy and I love their tuna tacos on fake risotto."
a tapas bar
The president of the FEB bets on a couple of taverns.
"
Arzábal
(Avenida de Menéndez Pelayo, 13), I know I haven't discovered anything and that it's a Madrid classic, but it's also one of my favorites:
their croquettes and that cheese they put with little bits...
Everything is delicious. There was a time I lived very close to
29 Fanegas
(General Oraá, 29), and
it saved my life many nights when I came home late and there was nothing
in the fridge. It is very nice and has a great atmosphere, perfect to go with friends and have a quick snack.
A play and a musical
"
Anywhere Edu Soto is.
I'm crazy about the theatre, although now with work and fatherhood I'm a bit abandoned; it's difficult to find time. I remember with great affection
Sometimes I see Umberto
[on the bill at the Muñoz Theater Seca]. I went a long time ago, at
a time that wasn't too good for me and I left crying with laughter
. It may not be the best in the world, but it is one of the funniest I've seen in my life. As for musicals,
Cantajuego
. I have a little daughter and we sing her songs at home; I know them all.
You go to see it for your daughter and, in the end, you end up having a good time too."
Arzábal croquettes are one of his favorite dishes.
A bookstore
"
La Casa del Libro de Fuencarral
(Fuencarral, 119). Not only have I left the theater a little, I am also about to become an ex-reader due to lack of time, although
I love browsing through books. Sometimes, I take 10; times, none,
but I like to get lost there.
A corner to return to again and again
"El Parque del Retiro (Plaza de la Independencia, 7). For me,
El Retiro is Madrid
, besides it is my home, and I have also lived near it for a while. I have gone for a walk, a run or just to be, because you don't need any excuse to go. I always say that we have idealized Central Park in New York and I also
usually say that I would most like Central Park to be El Retiro"
.
A STORE
"The
record ones and the wine bars
. I'm quite eclectic when it comes to music. I like almost all of it, indie, folk... Leiva, Enrique Bunbury, The Beatles...
Now I've taken to vinyl, as we get older , we become nostalgic
. I am making my own collection. I have a good friend who is crazy about them,
Canco Rodríguez; every Sunday he opens a vinyl
and I copy it. Also over the years it usually happens that you drink much less and better, and Over time
the world of wine has caught me: how the grape is treated, how it is made
, the process in the barrel...".
a special museum
"
The Prado Museum
(Ruiz de Alarcón, 23). When you travel, you visit the Louvre in Paris, the Van Gogh in Amsterdam... The people of Madrid have the Prado next to home and we don't value it enough.
People from outside probably appreciates this jewel more than we do.
I rediscovered it a short time ago, and it has surprised me again".
Views of Madrid from the rooftop of Ginkgo Sky Bar.
A place to play sports
"
El Retiro
again , and that at certain times for an allergic person it is not easy at all.
I have gone out running a lot, well, now for a walk, for him
. I also go to
Go Fit Physico
(Azafrán, 4, Majadahonda), a gym that I have close to home and whose owner is quite a friend".
A porch
"I am going to say two that offer some of the best
views of Madrid: one from the ground and the other from the sky
. Having a drink in
Ramses
(Plaza de la Independencia, 4), with good company and seeing the Puerta de Alcalá is a I recently discovered
Ginkgo Sky Bar
(Plaza de España, 3) and its practically 360 panoramic view of all of Madrid is wonderful".
A concert
"Live music is perhaps my greatest passion. For example, seeing
Enrique Bunbury
, someone who is sitting very high [the Aragonese singer has just canceled his tour];
Vetusta Morla
, one of the national indie banners;
La MODA
, a hilarious group that makes high-quality music... Or the
Rolling Stones
, what can I tell you! Going to one of their concerts is witnessing something that remains forever in time".
A monument
"
The Puerta de Alcalá
. It has captivated me since I was little; I pass through it many times and my mouth is always open and I don't know what the reason is."
One of his latest hobbies is collecting vinyl.SHUTTERSTOCK
A street
"
Fuencarral, and since before it was fashionable
. Because of the mixture of people, businesses, shops, bars... For someone who is over two meters tall, it is a
good place to try to go as unnoticed as possible
, no I totally get it, but more than other places."
A neighborhood to get lost
"
Malasaña has always
been. I keep going there. I have spent many hours there with friends and a lot of laughter; I have met many people there and I have spent a wonderful time there.
I love that hippie, alternative, bohemian point that it has.
a delivery
"Sushi Master (Ctra. de Pozuelo, 48, Majadahonda), because it catches me very close to home, it has a spectacular product and it is healthy food, and Rocacho (Padre Damián, 38), a high-quality home delivery proposal".
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