#ZalgirisOnAir talks with Patricio Garino 0

As he celebrates his 28^th birthday on the 17^th of May, Zalgiris’ first Argentinian player Patricio Garino joined the #ZalgirisOnAir podcast, becoming the show’s 44^th guest.

Garino joined Rytis Kazlauskas and spent an hour talking about topics of a wide variety.

Patricio talked about growing up in a country dominated by football and his grown interest in the sport following the impressive performances by the Argentinian national team in 2002 and 2004.

Having graduated from university, the small forward tried his hand in the NBA Draft, traditionally participating in team practices and tryouts. He noted the vast number of clubs he worked out with.

“I thought I was going to have 1-2-3 tryouts, and I ended up going to 14 different practices in a month and a half. One morning I was practicing in Sacramento, the next morning I was in Oklahoma. Visiting all the NBA facilities, all the people. It’s fascinating seeing all the resources the have for the players to get better. It’s all about the players.”

While Garino didn’t hear his name called in the draft, an offer came in from the San Antonio Spurs, where the Argentinian basketball star Manu Ginobili was playing.

“I received an offer from the Spurs when I was with the national team in Las Vegas. Gregg Popovich was right there, and we played there one night, and the next we were flying to Rio. In the airport, Manu Ginobili came up to me who my agent was and I gave him my number. We were flying from Las Vegas and had a layover in Houston and when we landed, I had four missed phone calls from my agent. I called him and we he told me we have an offer from the Spurs and they need an answer. I was like, “Manu, what the hell?” I couldn’t say no to the Spurs.”

The Argentinian also talked about his injury, his considerations about starting to pack his bags, and thinking Zalgiris will let him go. Nevertheless, the management ensured that he’ll be staying in Kaunas and recovering here.

“This was crazy to have the GM talk to you so personally, so close and being so invested and so involved with the team. I don’t think that many teams have a GM who is so involved in such a good way. For me it gave me a new wave of air and motivation to get better and keep going.”

Garino also answered a series of questions on different topics sent in from fans.

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