San Antonio Spurs guard Nando De Colo will be living the NBA rookie life heading into next season but that doesn't mean he is going to be intimidated by playing on basketball's biggest stage.
In an interview with French site Nordeclair, De Colo exclaimed how much he is happy to be living his NBA dream and mentioned he once had a Scottie Pippen poster as a kid.
There were posters in my room such as Scottie Pippen when I was little. The NBA is a dream but a goal. It does not scare me.
Talk about confidence heading into the NBA and I got to say, I like this from De Colo. And Nando shouldn't be intimidated by the NBA. He has been playing professionally since 2006 in France and continued his pro career in Spain before being signed by the Spurs this offseason. Add the fact he has played in the 2012 Olympics and in Olympic qualifying tournaments, there is no doubt De Colo isn't your typical NBA rookie coming in wet behind the ears.
And speaking of making the transition into the NBA, De Colo says the Spurs took their time in allowing him to develop before making the leap.
In 2009, I was drafted, but it was the second round so I did not have a guaranteed contract. So it was interesting for me to get more experience in Europe, and Valencia. There, the Spurs were able to draft me. They followed me for three years. This is the strength of this franchise, it's professional. When they draft a player, they know what they're doing.
That's pretty much a glowing comment for the best team in the NBA when it comes to drafting foreign talent. Case in point – Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and possibly De Colo himself.
In the interview, Nando goes on to say he was disappointed how Team France was eliminated early at the London Games, but says the team did gain valuable experience they can take to the 2016 Games in Rio. He also says Team USA is not unbeatable and points to how Spain tested the US in the gold medal game in London.
As for his confidence heading into next season, this should bode well for his development but now he has to walk-the-walk and prove he does deserve to be in the NBA.
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