Willy Hernangómez

Willy Hernangómez
Willy Hernangómez
Born	Guillermo Gustavo Hernangómez Geuer; May 27, 1994 (age 32); Spain
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Playing as center for FC Barcelona, former NBA player

Guillermo Gustavo "Willy" Hernangómez Geuer (born 27 May 1994) is a professional basketball player from Spain, currently representing FC Barcelona in both the Spanish Liga ACB and the Euroleague. Measuring , he occupies the position of center on the court.

Real Madrid (2011–2016)

Considered a promising talent within the ranks of Real Madrid, Hernangómez spent his first two seasons playing for their reserve squad. In the summer of 2013, he was sent on loan to Cajasol Sevilla, a stint that was extended for an additional season. On 17 July 2015, he rejoined Real Madrid’s senior squad for the 2015–16 campaign, where he averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds across 34 appearances in the Spanish ACB League.

New York Knicks (2016–2018)

Hernangómez was chosen as the 35th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but his rights were immediately traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for two future second-round draft selections and cash considerations. He inked a contract with the Knicks on 8 July 2016 and made his NBA debut on 25 October, contributing four points coming off the bench.

Following a short period with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s D-League affiliate, he posted season-best performances including 14 points against the Brooklyn Nets and a personal record of 16 rebounds versus the Dallas Mavericks. On 1 February 2017, Hernangómez recorded a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. He stepped in for an injured teammate to participate in the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge.

He reached career-high numbers with 24 points and 13 rebounds on 25 March and equaled his scoring high with 24 points alongside 11 rebounds on 9 April. His impressive output during April earned him Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors, leading all rookies in rebounding while ranking second in scoring. Hernangómez finished his rookie season by securing a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Charlotte Hornets (2018–2020)

On 7 February 2018, Hernangómez was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in return for Johnny O'Bryant III plus two future second-round draft picks.

New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2023)

Hernangómez signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on 30 November 2020.

FC Barcelona (2023–present)

On 12 July 2023, Hernangómez agreed to a lucrative three-year contract with Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona, following his former team Real Madrid’s decision not to match the offer under domestic tanteo rights.

Junior national team

Hernangómez gained prominence representing Spain’s junior national squads, earning All-Tournament accolades at both the 2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he helped secure a silver medal. Additionally, he was part of the gold-medal-winning team at the 2011 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.

Senior national team

As a member of Spain’s senior national team, Hernangómez has been integral to several medal-winning efforts: gold at both EuroBasket 2015 and the 2019 FIBA World Cup, bronze medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics and EuroBasket 2017. At EuroBasket 2022, he played a pivotal role in Spain’s unexpected gold medal triumph over France, contributing 14 points and eight rebounds in the final. His exceptional play throughout that tournament earned him the title of EuroBasket MVP, averaging an impressive 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 72 || 22 || 18.4 || .530 || .267 || .728 || 7.0 || 1.3 || .6 || .5 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 26 || 0 || 9.0 || .605 || .200 || .429 || 2.6 || .8 || .3 || .3 || 4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 22 || 1 || 11.9 || .506 || .571 || .758 || 5.3 || .5 || .5 || .4 || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 58 || 3 || 14.0 || .519 || .385 || .694 || 5.4 || 1.0 || .3 || .3 || 7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 31 || 0 || 12.1 || .532 || .227 || .627 || 4.3 || .9 || .3 || .2 || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans | 47 || 12 || 18.0 || .563 || .100 || .667 || 7.1 || 1.1 || .5 || .5|| 7.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans | 50||8||16.8||.520||.333||.773||6.8||1.3||.4||.4||9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans | 38||2||12.1||.527||.273||.779||4.7||.9||.4||.3||6.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |344||48||15.0||.533||.306||.713||5.8||1.1||.4||.4||7.3

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2022 | style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans |1||0||2.0||.250||.000||||2.0||||||||2.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |1||0||2.0||.250||.000||||2.0||||||||2.0

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Real Madrid |3||0||4.8||.286||||||1.0||||||||1.3||-1.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2015–16 |14||0||11.2|||.643|||.000|||.545|||3.4|||.3|||.2|||.6|||4.3|||5.6

EuroCup

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2014–15 | style="text-align:left;" | CDB Sevilla |16||13||16.6||.519||.250||.795||4.6||0.7||0.9||0.3||8.9||10.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career |16||13||16.6||.519||.250||.795||4..6|||0..7|||0..9|||0..3|||8..9|||10..3

Domestic leagues

Year	Team	League
2012–13	Real Madrid	Liga ACB	6	3.7	.182	—	.600	.8	—	.7	.2	1.7
2013–14	CDB Sevilla	Liga ACB	37	13.7	.577	.000	.659	3.3	.2	.5	.4	6.1
2014–15	CDB Sevilla	Liga ACB	34	21.1	.537	.167	.692	6.2	.5	.9	.4	10.6
2015–16	Real Madrid	Liga ACB	34	11.3	.650	—	.731	3.3	.4	.4	.5	5.7
2023–24	Barcelona	Liga ACB	37	19.1	.560	—	.583	6.2	.8	.5	.5	12.2 Team achievements Liga ACB (Spanish League) titles: 2012–13 ACB season, 2015–16 ACB season Victories in the Spanish Basketball Cup (Copa del Rey): 2016 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto Champions of the Spanish Basketball Supercup (Supercopa de España): 2012 Supercopa de España de Baloncesto Winners of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup: 2015 FIBA Intercontinental Cup International career with Spain Medalist at EuroBasket 2015 Bronze medalist at the men's basketball event during the Basketball at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament Secured bronze at EuroBasket 2017 Gold medalist at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Earned gold at EuroBasket 2022 Individual distinctions Selected for the All-Tournament Team at the 2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament Named to the All-Tournament Team during the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Honored as EuroCup MVP of the Week in Week 8 of the 2014–15 season Included in the ACB All-Young players Team for both 2015 and 2016 Chosen for the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2017 Awarded both the MVP and a spot on the All-Tournament Team at EuroBasket 2022 Recognized as MVP of the Catalan League in 2024 Personal life Hernangómez is born to Guillermo Hernangómez Heredero and Margarita "Wonny" Geuer Draeger, who has German ancestry from Seville. His sibling, Juancho Hernangómez, also plays professionally and is currently signed with Greek squad Panathinaikos.