Getty Juancho Hernangomez and Adam Sandler.
Former Boston Celtics player Juancho Hernangomez recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about his relationship with Adam Sandler during the filming of Hustle. Produced by LeBron James, Hustle stars Sandler, who plays a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers that recruits Hernangomez’s character, Bo Cruz, for the upcoming NBA Draft.
Before the two starred in the sports film together, Hernangomez admitted that while he knew of Sandler’s work beforehand, he wasn’t too big of an admirer.
“Coming from Spain, I know his movies, of course, but I never was a fan,” Hernangomez told Entertainment Weekly. However, according to Hernangomez, it didn’t take too long for the two of them to develop a strong rapport. “From the first day we got through chemistry and fitting, we loved each other so much… He loved me like his older son, and I looked at him like my dad. We had a good relationship in every way. He took care of me from the first day.”
Hernangomez also said that it was their shared passion for the game of basketball that ultimately fielded the special bond they had.
“(Sandler) loves basketball; he really, really, really loves it,” Hernangomez said. “He watches all the games; he texts me after the games. It’s crazy how good our relationship is. We spent so much time together; we developed some good chemistry.”
Hustle is now playing in select theaters and can currently be streamed on Netflix.
Other Former and Current Celtics Personnel in Hustle
Hustle had lots of former and current NBA players either to play supporting roles, like Anthony Edwards and Kenny Smith, or as special cameos, like NBA legend Julius Erving and Luka Doncic. Because there were so many NBA players and personnel, there were of course going to be those who have or had a connection to the Celtics.
Of course, there was Juancho Hernangomez, who played 18 games for the Celtics before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021-22 season, but there was other current or former Celtics personnel who made an appearance either as a character or as themselves.
Since this film centered around the Philadelphia 76ers’ organization, it made sense that former Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who is currently the head coach of the Sixers, would be in the movie playing himself. Former head coach and current Head of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens also makes an appearance in the movie playing himself. Former Celtic Moe Wagner, who played nine games for the team in 2021 before being waived, also made an appearance. However, Wagner played a German prospect named “Haas” who was nicknamed “German MJ” after Michael Jordan.
Hustle is Getting Positive Reviews
As of June 10, Hustle currently has a score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from movie critics, with a 91 percent from the audience score, indicating that the reception has been near-unanimously positive from everyone.
The critics’ consensus from the website said the following, “Hustle doesn’t have any fancy moves, but it doesn’t need them – Adam Sandler’s everyman charm makes this easy layup fun to watch.”
Sandler’s previous sports film that starred a former Celtic – Kevin Garnett – Uncut Gems has the exact same score from critics, although that film has a 52 percent audience score.