By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
Wesley Johnson made the decision this summer to make the jump to EuroLeague for Panathinaikos after spending nine years in the NBA. And when the opportunity came, he seized it.
“This summer, I talked to my agent about it, he asked me if I was open to it and I told him yes”, Johnson tells Eurohoops. “Definitely you want to compete at a high level, then the opportunity presented itself and I jumped on it”.
Before making his decision, Johnson spoke with trainers and other players, including former LA Lakers 2009, 2010 NBA champion Sasha Vujacic, and got a pretty clear idea about the competitiveness of EuroLeague. A huge challenge as he admits.
After doing his research prior to coming to Europe, Johnson says he is fully aware of the competition’s level and what he and Panathinaikos have to do in order to make this season count.
“If we get our chemistry down and play defense, the sky is the limit for us. We have the talent, top to bottom. So we just have to bring it out every night and take it game by game. We have to look at every night, every opponent as if it’s a championship game”, Johnson added.
“I want everybody on the team to embrace it [the challenge], welcome it. We want to play at a high level. This is one of the most competitive years, everybody should be excited about it. I’m ready for it”.
Check out the full interview below that also features the forward’s reaction to playing with the white and green jersey, that reminds him of his LA Lakers rivals, Boston Celtics!