Luis Scola, former Argentine NBA player: "What impressed me most in Houston wasn't Yao Ming or McGrady, it was everyone else."

Luis Scola is one of the best Argentine players in history. The center had a long career that stretched until he was 41. He played in Europe, making his mark in the ACB with Baskonia , with whom he won the league, three Copa del Rey titles, and three Super Cups at the beginning of the century.

He then made the jump to the NBA and was drafted by the Spurs after finishing in the late second round in 2002. However, he took a while to make the transition to the NBA until his rights were traded to the Houston Rockets in the 2007-08 season.

The Argentine played in the American league from 2007 to 2017 , playing 743 games with the Rockets, Suns, Pacers, Raptors, and Nets before extending his career in China and Italy. His average points and rebounds were 12.0 and 6.7, respectively.

A few months ago, Scola was interviewed by ' Drafteados ', who asked him about his time with the Rockets and about names who played with him in the Texas franchise such as Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady.

When asked about his time with the Houston Rockets , the Argentine said: “All those players impressed me a lot, but what impressed me most about the NBA were the rest of the players who were supposed to be bad ,” the center began by explaining.

He said he was amazed by the level of players in the NBA and explained what happened at an Open Gym , which are open training sessions, usually during the offseason, where players can practice and play freely without the pressure of structured practices or tryouts.

"There were those who weren't even supposed to be on the team, those who were invited. They hold the Open Gym there, which opens at 11 a.m. and people come with their friends and we play a game," Scola said.

Of these lesser-known players, the center said: “ If we take these guys to Europe and they're the best player in Europe in a year, they were incredible. They jumped, they ran, and I said, 'How am I going to play here?' because they're not the monsters that, in theory, they should be. I was surprised by the amount of talent and athleticism they have in the United States ; that's what impressed me the most,” he emphasized.

For him, what impressed him most about the NBA wasn't the stars, it was the high pace of play, where everything was done a second faster than in leagues in other countries.