101 Greats of European Basketball

A champ by any
measure
When in the summer of 1988 he
decided to move to Europe to
have more playing time, Johnny
Rogers probably never imagined
that he would only be back to his
native California occasionally to
visit his family and friends. He would live in Europe for
a quarter of a century after that between Spain, Italy
and Greece. He played in all three countries, got married
in Spain, and represented the Spanish national
team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Since 2004, the year he retired, Rogers has remained
involved with basketball in other ways. He
worked as an NBA scout while also becoming a color
commentator on EuroLeague.TV. He hosted a shooting
camp in Valencia for young players. Most recently, he
has been the Director of Pro Player Personnel for the
NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
After a good run at Stanford University and University
of California-Irvine (21.7 and 20.7 points plus 7.4
and 8.6 rebounds, respectively, in his last two years),
Rogers was selected in the second round of the 1986
NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. In his rookie season
with Sacramento, he averaged 10.5 minutes and
4.2 points. His second year, after being traded to Cleveland,
he played in 24 games for 7 minutes on average
and scored 2.4 points. With a strong will to play, Rogers
crossed the Atlantic Ocean and decided to try Europe.
An offer from Real Madrid was good enough for him to
start his European adventure.
The year with Drazen
His first season in Spain started early because of
national cup games. Curiously enough, the final of the
cup tournament for 1989 was played in 1988. Eight
teams played the tourney in several towns in the Galicia
region, with Real Madrid eliminating Magia Huesca in
the quarterfinals, 88-64, and Joventut Badalona in the
semis, 99-74. That led to the dream final, Real Madrid
vs. FC Barcelona, being held in La Coruña. It was a clash
of titans, a game that half of Spain stopped to watch.
Rogers still remembered many details decades later:
“We got to the arena one and a half hours before
the game and the stands were already full,” he recalled
to me. “There was an unbelievable atmosphere. Barcelona
had the lead for a long time, but in the end, we
prevailed 85-81. It was my first trophy.”
The media of that time highlighted Rogers as the
man of the final. Drazen Petrovic, who had recently arrived
from Cibona, scored 27 points. But Rogers had 23
points on 7 of 11 two-pointers, 1 of 1 threes and 6 of 6
free throws, plus 6 rebounds. He was decisive in his 40
minutes on the court.
That same season, on March 14, 1989, Rogers won
his second trophy – and first at an international level –
with Madrid in Athens. In an unforgettable title game
of the Saporta Cup, Real Madrid beat Juventus Caserta
117-113 in overtime. The epic game had been 60-57 for
Madrid at halftime and was tied 102-102 at the end of
regulation. The game was marked by an unbelievable
performance by Petrovic, who scored 62 points. For
Caserta, there was the “Holy Hand” of Oscar Schmidt,
who scored 44. Rogers contributed 14 points in 21 min-
101 greats of european basketball
Johnny Rogers
R