Omri Casspi
צילום: AP
Casspi after NBA debut: I had butterflies in my stomach
Small forward from Yavne scores 15 points in Sacramento Kings' loss to Oklahoma. 'The ice has been broken; I hope I'll make the most of the chances I'll get,' he tells Ynet
"I had butterflies in my stomach before the game, but now the ice has been broken," said Israeli hoopster Omri Casspi after his successful NBA debut Wednesday.
Casspi scored 15 points pulled down three rebounds in the Sacramento Kings' 89:102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking to Ynet after the game, Casspi said, "I went through a lot to get here, and now I'm embarking on a new journey, which I hope will be a successful one."
Asked whether the fact that he is the first Israeli to play in the NBA entered his mind, Casspi said, "I thought about it more during the preseason. When we began the warm-up I thought to myself, 'I made it to the NBA'. Undoubtedly, the first game is special, but during halftime, when I had only two points, I said to myself, 'Enough jitters, I have to start playing'. I'm glad that I improved and scored another 13 points in the second half."
Casspi, who was on the floor for 19 minutes, said he received good feedbacks from the Kings' coaching staff. "This is just the beginning; there are 81 more games to play," he said. "I hope I'll make the most of the chances I'll get. I'm working hard."
The Kings boarded a flight to New Orleans just an hour after the game in Oklahoma ended. "These flights are like trips to the Galilee in Israel. It's very intense. We have to pick ourselves up, because we cannot continue last year's losing trend," Casspi added.
Addressing his supporters in Israel, the small forward from Yavne said, "I want to thank everyone for the support; it warms my heart. I'm glad the game was aired (in Israel) and I promise to keep working hard."
