Greivis Vásquez was signed on Friday, September 24, 2010, just before the start of NBA preseason training camp with the Memphis Grizzlies.
At that point, Venezuela had savored the sporting satisfaction of having two representatives in the "best basketball team in the world," which isn't a cliché, but a true reality, not only economically but also professionally on the courts of the U.S. and Canada.
From there, Carl Herrera - who debuted on November 12, 1991 with the Houston Rockets - and then Oscar Torres - on October 30, 2001, also with Houston - turned the Venezuelan fan into a regular NBA spectator, with the corresponding media coverage that made newspaper and sports magazine editors, as well as audiovisual producers, rub their hands.
Nine years later, the figure of a young man from Caracas, born on January 16, 1987, emerged with exceptional abilities to be a point guard, despite his 1,96 meters that made his coaches dream of a possible "three position and even center"... However, Greivis himself would be in charge of showing what his initial and final position would be, from when he started as a mini-basketball player until he entered the NBA.
Pilot with foundation
We are concerned with the memory of its 15th anniversary since its debut in what is undoubtedly the best basketball in the world, even though we recognize the pleasing level at which it has been played for years in other latitudes, especially in European basketball.
But to reach the NBA in October 2010, he first had to make his mark with the Venezuelan national team and then in college basketball.
He did it with Venezuela in the 2012 South American Cadet Championship, where Venezuela won the silver medal after losing to Argentina, and then, with the seniors, winning gold in the South American Championship in Margarita against Argentina, with a score of 74-65, where Greivis was the MVP.
He reached his college years in the United States, especially in the NCAA with the University of Maryland (Terrapins), and achieved achievements such as the Bob Cousy Award (2010). He was named the best point guard in all of college basketball (NCAA Division I) in 2010; the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year (2010); and years later, he was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame (Class of 2022).
With this, the opportunity to enter the 2010 NBA draft arose, and he was selected 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, the third Venezuelan.
As a curious case, Greivis told us by phone from Miami, another place where he lives, that "brother, I don't remember exactly the day of my first points in the NBA, but I do remember that I enjoyed my first year to the fullest because it was the consecration of work and perseverance rewarded by playing with the greatest of the moment."
In fact, Basketball Reference has October 30th as the date against Minnesota.
The Timberwolves, the date of his first two points and the now-famous AI, reports that "sources claim it was October 29, 2010, against the Dallas Mavericks, where he played less than three minutes and scored two points." Whatever the case, 2010 was his arrival in the NBA. There's no doubt about it.
