Rudy Fernandez is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.
He was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on April 4, 1985 and his full name is Rodolfo Fernandez Farres. His older sister, Marta, played for the San Antonio Silver Stars for the 2007-2008 season.
International Career Beginnings
Fernandez began his professional basketball career as part of the Spanish National Team. In 2004, he played for Spain in the Athens Olympics, where he averaged 5.1 points per game and shot 46.2% from the field.
He also played in three qualifying rounds for the Men’s 2004 European Championship. In 2006, he helped is Spanish team with the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, with a 40.7 field goal percentage.
In 2007, his team won the silver medal in the same competition. In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, he led his team to a silver medal. They ultimately lost to the United States 118-107. Fernandez also played a critical role in Spain’s entry into the 2009 European Championships.
From 2001 to 2005, Fernandez also made appearances on French teams. For the first two years, he did not play the full season. However, in the 2003-04 season, he averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and was named the 2004 Copa del Rey Most Valuable Player, in spite of the team’s loss to Saski-Baskonia.Fernandez continued his professional career in Europe from 2006 to 2008. In the 2007-2008 season, he averaged a whopping 21.2 points per game.
He also shot 41% from the three point range and finished first in the ACB League in points scored per game, steals per game and three pointers per game. He scored at least 20 points in 19 games and ranked sixth in the league in number of assists per game.
Entering the NBA
Fernandez was originally chosen by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, making him the 24th pick overall. However, the Suns decided to trade him to the Trail Blazers on July 11, 2007 in exchange for cash considerations and player James Jones. Then, on July 1, 2008 Fernandez signed with Portland.
In his rookie season for Portland, Fernandez averaged 10.4 points per game. He set NBA the rookie record for number of three pointers scored. In the playoffs, he played in all six games.