Serge Ibaka Still Can’t Believe He’s a Champion Now

In his 11th season in the league, Ibaka has seen his role evolve. When he first joined the N.B.A., Ibaka was viewed as a one-of-a-kind player with an ability to guard multiple positions, serve as an elite rim protector and deployan offensive game that was just blossoming. Ibaka parlayed his skill set into three consecutive selections to the N.B.A.’s All-Defensive team, from 2012 to 2014, and he led the league in blocks in two of those seasons.

During Toronto’s run to the championship last season, Ibaka, came off the bench in all 24 playoff games, having relinquished his spot in the starting lineup after the Raptors acquired Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies at the trading deadline. In that new role, Ibaka delivered key moments in every series. In Game 7 of the second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Ibaka came through with 17 points and 8 rebounds. He helped even the Eastern Conference finals with 17 points and 13 rebounds in Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the N.B.A. finals against Golden State, Ibaka scored in double digits in the final three games of the series, including a 20-point performance in a Game 4 road victory at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Off the court, Ibaka has also evolved. Jordi Vila, now his manager, first met Ibaka when he arrived in Spain as a 17-year-old basketball player, needing to still grow up. Vila remembers Ibaka’s obsessive drive to become an N.B.A. player. His workout routine meant he rarely took time off, even after the season was over. And eventually, Vila said, Ibaka learned to find more of a balance between work and making room for other things in his life.

“I forced him to take a vacation a few years ago,” Vila said. “I wanted him to do nothing for a month. He hasn’t slowed down with his workout routine, but he’s smarter now.”

Indeed, Ibaka admits he’s finally allowing himself to enjoy his life a little bit. “I’m mature enough to understand I can find time to do other things without disturbing my focus for basketball,” he said. “That was something I needed to learn, to understand that you can work hard and enjoy it, too.”

Source: The New York Times

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