A word about Fernando Martin
Rudy Fernandez paid a very thoughtful tribune to Spain’s first NBA player last night in the slam-dunk contest, by wearing a replica of Fernando Martin’s Trail Blazer uniform for his first dunk.
It’s a shame the people doing the broadcast on TNT were not educated, prior to the event, about Martin. And then they might have at least pronounced his name correctly (it’s mar-TEEN) and not looked like ignorant fools with their jokes at the sight of the uniform.
Martin was a god in Spain and when he came to the Blazers in 1986-87, much was expected — by his fans in Spain. But they had no idea of the climate in the NBA at the time. European players in those days had a real problem convincing NBA coaches they were good enough, tough enough, to actually play.
Fernando led a very solitary existence that season with the Blazers. He was shy around teammates and kept to himself. And he seldom got off the bench. We’re talking about a guy who played in only 24 games, even though he was here all season, made just 9 of 31 shots and scored but 22 points. He was so nervous when he finally made it to the court during games he locked himself up.
He returned to Spain the following season to resume his career but was killed in an auto accident on Dec. 3, 1989. I believe Rudy’s tribute was probably a very big thing in Spain and I was pleased by his respect for the past and a personal chance to remember a very nice guy.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | February 15, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, Fernando Martin, NBA, Rudy Fernandez, slam-dunk contest
Hello from Majorca, Spain, Mr. Jaynes,
As you touch in your article, it was disappointing to hear two NBA greats like Reggie Miller, and Kenny Smith not to respect in the same manner that they have been respected countless times before. It’s reassuring to see that Rudy’s gesture was appreciated by a good knowledgeable commentator such as yourself, and by many international, and US fans of this great sport. Fernando’s story, in comparison to Rudy’s, shows how different was the path for an international star two decades ago. Whereas Rudy was received by cheering Portland fans, Fernando was an anonymous rookie in the US, who was celebrated in Spain just by appearing next to Dr. J in a photo during an NBA game.
So far Rudy has been a heralded rookie who has become the first international slam-dunk contestant, and Pau Gasol is going to play his second All-star Game; so it was a good moment to pay homage to the time when things were much more than harder: they were simply different. From Fernando to Dirk, Pau, Yao and Manu, passing through Drazen and Arvidas, it’s been a long road worth celebrating; what a shame that such a sensational player such as Reggie Miller, (who played the game the way it should be played) didn’t appreciate the moment. Thanks very much for your attention, it’s always a pleasure to read your very thoughtful and well informed articles.
I agree about the TNT broadcasters. Reggie Miller ended up with foot-in-mouth as he cracked jokes right before the other announcer mentioned Martin’s death in a car accident. (oops!) I don’t know about you, but in general I’m getting tired of how national sports broadcasts are so filled with color commentators poking each other in the ribs with jokes about one another’s supposed deficiencies when they were players, etc. A little of that kind of teasing goes a long way, but especially in the All Star events when there is so much “down time” during slow events, they just take it too far.
That dunk contest felt like it was fixed to me, but then again so was the voting that put Rudy in there in the first place. Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith should be ashamed of themselves.
I guess the only way to win nowadays is to have clownish props.
Rudy’s first dunk was great, and his second dunk (once Gasol finally threw him a decent pass) was spectacular.
TNT really showed how unprofessional they are. WWE commentators have more class and are more professional.
Kenny Smith steals a paycheck for spewing uninformed garbage.
Hi Dwight,
Thank you for the additional info on Fernando Martin. In his remembrance, Rudy made a beautiful gesture. We can
count on Rudy to be a class act. So glad that he is a Blazer!
Thanks for the lesson. I did not know who Fernando Martin was, but the response by the Spanish language commentators (though I couldn’t understand the language, I could understand the enthusiasm) made it clear that to the Spanish, it was a big deal. This was a class act by a class guy and further endears him to fans back in Spain as well as long time Blazer fans like me who may not have even known this guy. I always thought Drazen Petrovic was one of the first (and my favorite) international NBA players.
Just goes to show you what a class act Rudy is. In fact, he was too sophisticated for this event. He should have been applauded for doing the right thing. The PA should have announced Rudy’s tribute – it would have been good for the league. The fact that TNT had a Fernando Martin slide ready to go tells me *someone* knew about it. Woulda been nice to tell the hosts. I hope Spanish TV had their own announcers, because we came off looking tactless and arrogant, even disinterested. Rudy just raised his international Q quotient a notch or two (and with it, Portland’s). Finally, had he ripped that dunk off the back of the glass in the first couple of tries, there might have been a better outcome.
I still have Fernando Martin’s Franz card from my childhood. This gesture only solidifies the fact that we have some classy guys on this team like Rudy, Brandon, Nate and Joel. Whether or not we end up with another championship trophy, this will go down as one of my favorite Blazers team/ seasons.
That Fernando Martin jersey was incorrect. Martin played with Portland in 86-87. The jersey Rudy wore wasn’t released until a few years after Martin’s death, when the Blazers altered their logo for the 91-92 campaign.
Oh gawd,I was so mad when as soon as Rudy’s name was snnounced
Kenny announced Rudy didn’t stand a chance.
They were disrespectful to Rudy all around.
David — I don’t think it matters at all that the jersey was incorrect in its insignias… the point was to honor Martin, which he did. Those jerseys are not for sale anywhere. My guess is that he had to have it manufactured for the event. Good for him!
– Dwight
I would like to highlight how important was Fernando Martín in the 80ś for spanish people, sure he was a bigger star then than Rudy could be consider today. He used to score 30 points in lot of important games, he also drove Spain to the 1984 LA olimpics Final versus USA (with Jordan, Ewing, Mullin, etc.).
I remember his fights versus Petrovic (Cibona) and Sabonis (Zalguiris Kaunas) who years later would became blazers.
His best friend that year in Portland was Walter Barry -what a great player-.
Fernando did not have luck in his NBA trip, but sure today he could be playing as a started in 10-12 teams. Consider Mike Shurer wanted him to play as a 3 when he played always here as a 4.
Thanks a lot Dwight