NBA basketball player Pöltl

“The whistles against Trump surprised me”

Jakob Pöltl is currently out of action.

(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A hip injury has forced Austria's first and only NBA basketball player to take a break. Jakob Pöltl spoke to the "Krone" about changing clubs against the will of the players, his goals with Toronto and whistles during the US anthem. 

The city rests in front of the hotel. Surprising. Because Philadelphia has been a Super Bowl winner since Sunday. Inside, Jakob Pöltl rests before his Toronto Raptors' away game. Inside himself. Unsurprisingly. Even the massive rumors about a move to the Los Angeles Lakers around superstars LeBron James and Luka Dončić hadn't raised the Austrian's pulse even a beat recently. The 2.13-meter center had never really followed the many opinions about the possible transfer online: "I don't need that for my ego. But of course interest from clubs is always a sign of appreciation," says the 29-year-old.

Pöltl in a duel with Wenyen Gabriel from the Lakers

(Bild: AP)

Who feels sorry for former colleague Dennis Schröder, who was shuffled between clubs four times within 24 hours: "As a player, you never want to be in a position like that." And Pöltl certainly doesn't: "I'm glad I'm still in Toronto!" The fact that professionals in the NBA not only change teams without being involved in advance, but also against their will, is "part of the game"; the German world champion Schröder recently spoke of "modern slavery" as one of those affected. Pöltl doesn't want to go that far, "but I would also prefer to have a say, just like in soccer."  

Injured new signing
In Toronto, Brandon Ingram has been under contract for a few days, a player who is supposed to lead the young team in hot phases and also find solutions on his own with the ball in his hands. However, the veteran, who like Pöltl was drafted into the Billion League in 2016, has not played for weeks due to injury. And that's not going to change any time soon...
Things are looking better for the Vienna native, who is expected to be completely over his hip injury soon. "I can already do everything except play full-contact basketball" - he will be back on board after the break for the All-Star Game at the latest. However, the team's development is more important than winning - the train towards the play-offs seems to have left the station: "It's better to build something up and then really attack," says Pöltl. Who is playing the best of his now nine seasons in the NBA in terms of points and rebounds: "I found my rhythm early on, but what's more important to me than my numbers is that we play good basketball as a team."

Boos and whistles during anthems
The Raptors, the only non-US team in the league, have also been overshadowed by politics of late. At home games in Toronto, fans express their displeasure with whistles and boos during the US national anthem, even though President Donald Trump recently announced a 30-day pause on tariffs against their northern neighbor and Mexico. "I had a quick chat about it with people from the staff, but it's hardly a topic in the dressing room. The Canadians are not happy with some of Trump's statements, but I was a little surprised by the strong reaction," said Pöltl about the US president. Who had also said that Canada would be better off as the 51st state of the USA anyway...