‘Hustle’ Star Juancho Hernangomez Talks Working With Adam Sandler and Shares Which Cameo Is His Favorite

Juancho Hernangomez is now a movie star. When the basketball star signed on for a part in Netflix’s basketball flick Hustle, he thought he was doing some sort of cameo—but he had no idea he was taking on the lead role. Like his character Bo Cruz, Hernangomez is also from Spain and moved to the United States to play for the NBA. While the team behind Hustle and Netflix could have easily hired a tall, athletic actor for the role—like Morris Chestnut in 2002’s Like Mike—they tapped a real-life professional athlete whose story was similar to the character instead, making the LeBron James-produced film feel significantly more authentic. 

Hernangomez’s professional basketball career began in 2012 with Madrid’s CB Estudiantes. He was on the international early entry candidates list for the 2016 NBA draft and was selected by the Denver Nuggets. He has since played for other teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs and is currently with the Utah Jazz. The power forward says he and his character have a lot in common. In the film, a talent scout Philadelphia 76ers named Stanley Sugarman, played by the one and only Adam Sandler, finds Bo playing basketball at a local park in Spain and convinces him to move to the U.S. to pursue a professional career. Bo is down on his luck working in construction after he gave up on his dream to play ball after having a daughter as a teenager and being financially responsible for her and his mother.

Queen Latifah, Robert Duvall, and Ben Foster, with appearances from real Sixers like Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey, and head coach Doc Rivers. Complex caught up with Juancho Hernangomez ahead of the Netflix film’s release, and he talked all about his first acting role, working with Adam Sandler, what his favorite basketball movie was growing up and what it meant to have basketball legends like Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, and Shaquille O’Neal be part of the film. 

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.