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“I have 24 brothers and I am the tallest”

Lhe life of Christian Eyenga is certainly out of the ordinary. Born in Kinshasa, in the old Zaire, in 1989, he grew up in a troubled environment, marked by two great wars: the First Congo War (1996-1997) and the Great War in Africa (1998-2003). “What I experienced is not something that I recommend to anyone”; and it is that the Democratic Republic of the Congo went through a decade to erase the memory of him. There, where he lost friends and family in devastating ways, he stood out among his huge family: “I have 24 brothers. I am the tallest.” His great physical qualities helped him get away from the reality that surrounded him and began to make a name for himself in the world of basketball.

His progression took him to South Africa, to the campus organized by the NBABasketball without borders’. “There some agents discovered me and brought me to Spain. I have a lot to thank Spain for. For me, coming from the Congo, it means a lot that this country has welcomed me, accompanied me and given this training. Many people would like to get here” , assures.

His own experience during his childhood makes him easily empathize with the current Russian invasion of his Ukrainian neighbors: “What is happening in Ukraine now, I have experienced even worse.” For this reason, he is willing to collaborate with this campaign organized by the urban clothing brand GRRR and the sports promoter Combate War of Titans, to create a joint clothing collection that raises benefits for the Ukrainian country.

In this talk with the two-time Muay Thai world champion, Jonathan Fabián, -who is also the image of the campaign’s main jersey-, Eyenga takes the opportunity to review his beginnings, his career, his time in the NBA and his experiences with teammates such as Kobe Bryant or LeBron James: “I learned to be professional with Kobe. I have never seen anyone train more than him; and I have never seen someone with the physical qualities of LeBron. After 20 seasons he is still in the top 10 in all the statistics. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it.”

The player from the Fuenlabrada team also expresses his desire to retire in his current team: “I love Fuenlabrada. It has given me a lot and I have given them too, but for me it is something sentimental that goes beyond playing basketball.” Eyenga, without fear of anything, since he has already seen everything throughout his life, keeps saving the club for this year among his plans: “Every year the level of the ACB rises. Every year it is difficult, but We have to fight until the end.” Christian also assures that he feels very supported by his fans: “I’m the only player who has never been whistled here. Even when I’ve been playing very badly for months, I go out on the field and they support me. I really appreciate it.”

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