Willy Hernangómez has agreed to join Unicaja Malaga, where he will look to rediscover his best form in a stable, basketball-first environment that could provide the perfect setting for a career revival.
The Spanish center has already built an impressive résumé. His journey includes spells with Spain’s two biggest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as seven productive seasons in the NBA. Hernangómez earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2017 and appeared in 344 regular-season games, averaging 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Yet the greatest moments of his career have arguably come with the Spanish national team. His achievements with La Familia rank among the finest of his generation.
After winning gold at the 2011 FIBA U18 European Championship and silver at the 2014 FIBA U20 European Championship, Hernangómez established himself as Spain’s starting center for nearly a decade. During that period, he collected an Olympic bronze medal at Rio 2016, lifted the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, and reached the EuroBasket podium three times, winning gold in 2015 and 2022 and bronze in 2017. He was also named the MVP of EuroBasket 2022 after leading Spain, alongside his brother Juancho, to another European title with a series of outstanding performances.
His return to Europe, however, has not unfolded as expected. Hernangómez chose to sign with Barcelona for family reasons, a move that drew criticism given that he had developed through Real Madrid’s system. Limited opportunities—particularly under Joan Peñarroya—gradually pushed him down the rotation, making his departure from the Palau Blaugrana this summer appear inevitable.
Several clubs attempted to sign the 32-year-old over the past few months. Baskonia looked close to securing his signature, but Unicaja ultimately won the race. Although Ibon Navarro is no longer in Malaga, the club remains widely regarded as one of Europe’s healthiest basketball environments—an ideal destination for a player eager to rebuild his confidence and return to top-level performances.
Hernangómez now has a golden opportunity to re-establish himself as one of Europe’s premier centers. More importantly, he can aim to be at his absolute best by September 2027, when Spain will look to compete for another medal at the FIBA World Cup in Qatar, with the experienced big man hoping to once again play a leading role for one of international basketball’s most successful national teams.