Cristiano Felício, a pride of the Nation
Vice President of Olympic Sports, Alexandre Póvoa, comments on the red-black team's entry into the NBA
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
Red-Black Nation,
In August 2013, Flamengo basketball made a bet on a 21-year-old athlete, who was returning from a personally difficult season for him in North American college basketball.
Cristiano Felício has always been a humble and extremely disciplined young man on and off the court. During the last two years of the team, dubbed the "Pride of the Nation" by our fans, Cristiano won every title, actively participating in an unforgettable generation of "Champions of Everything" for the red-and-black basketball community: two Campeonato Carioca titles (reaching the 2013th), one LDB (Basketball Development League, finishing runner-up in the following edition), two NBB titles (completing the trilogy that began in XNUMX), one Liga das Américas (Liga das Américas), and the club's greatest achievement overall this decade – the Intercontinental Basketball Cup, won against the European champions. He also actively participated in the first preseason games of a Latin American team in the NBA on North American soil.
Flamengo provided enormous support for the athlete's development, despite some physical issues that could have jeopardized his promising career, as well as important psychological support for his very introverted personality. Cristiano was criticized by fans and heavily pressured by the coaching staff because it was clear he had enormous potential to develop as a pivot, easily at the level of the Brazilian national team. This maturation process is part of the career of great athletes.
Flamengo doubled down on the second year of his contract, when the board revamped the roster with the aim of giving him more playing time and playing time. He fully met our expectations. We recently renewed his contract for two more years, with a release clause that only released him in the event of a transfer to the NBA, subject to the payment of a contractual penalty.
In 2015, Cristiano Felício was invited to participate in the preseason training camp of the legendary Chicago Bulls (simply the home of Michael Jordan), in a deal in which the North American club had the option to exercise its rights to the athlete permanently until the end of October. Flamengo then released him from the preseason training camp in Gávea, and he flew to the US the day after our great achievement of winning the third NBB championship.
We received confirmation on Monday (October 26.10) that the Chicago Bulls, given Cristiano's excellent preseason, have decided to sign him to a permanent contract. CR Flamengo regrets no longer having the athlete, but expresses enormous pride in having contributed decisively to his development. It's a dream for any basketball player to reach the NBA, a feat few achieve, especially at a club with the tradition of the Chicago Bulls. We are very happy that a very dedicated kid from a poor family has achieved such a goal, and Flamengo has given him all the support he needed to get there. We were absolutely right when we bet on him, despite much internal resistance and criticism, and the complete "disdain" of the specialized press, which praised young players from other clubs, strangely ignoring Cristiano's potential.
Best of luck to our dear Cris, "kick ass kid!" We're rooting for you so much. Represent the Pride of the Nation in the most powerful basketball game on the planet! We're sure that one day you'll once again wear our Sacred Mantle, with which you experienced the greatest joys of your basketball life. We miss you already!
This is the price of success. We've lost key players to the best basketball centers in the world—Europe and the NBA. We're rebuilding the team, severely hampered by the Brazilian economic crisis and the dollar at R$4/US$. Being a world champion is for the few; we have nothing to lament, only to work hard. This also reinforces the lesson of how crucial it is, in any sport, to strengthen the youth teams, which is also undergoing a profound overhaul at Flamengo basketball.
We will have a natural transition phase, but you can be sure that the "Pride of the Nation" will remain strong, competing vigorously for all the titles that are available.
Red-black greetings,
Alexandre Póvoa
VP Olympic Sports
In August 2013, Flamengo basketball made a bet on a 21-year-old athlete, who was returning from a personally difficult season for him in North American college basketball.
Cristiano Felício has always been a humble and extremely disciplined young man on and off the court. During the last two years of the team, dubbed the "Pride of the Nation" by our fans, Cristiano won every title, actively participating in an unforgettable generation of "Champions of Everything" for the red-and-black basketball community: two Campeonato Carioca titles (reaching the 2013th), one LDB (Basketball Development League, finishing runner-up in the following edition), two NBB titles (completing the trilogy that began in XNUMX), one Liga das Américas (Liga das Américas), and the club's greatest achievement overall this decade – the Intercontinental Basketball Cup, won against the European champions. He also actively participated in the first preseason games of a Latin American team in the NBA on North American soil.
Flamengo provided enormous support for the athlete's development, despite some physical issues that could have jeopardized his promising career, as well as important psychological support for his very introverted personality. Cristiano was criticized by fans and heavily pressured by the coaching staff because it was clear he had enormous potential to develop as a pivot, easily at the level of the Brazilian national team. This maturation process is part of the career of great athletes.
Flamengo doubled down on the second year of his contract, when the board revamped the roster with the aim of giving him more playing time and playing time. He fully met our expectations. We recently renewed his contract for two more years, with a release clause that only released him in the event of a transfer to the NBA, subject to the payment of a contractual penalty.
In 2015, Cristiano Felício was invited to participate in the preseason training camp of the legendary Chicago Bulls (simply the home of Michael Jordan), in a deal in which the North American club had the option to exercise its rights to the athlete permanently until the end of October. Flamengo then released him from the preseason training camp in Gávea, and he flew to the US the day after our great achievement of winning the third NBB championship.
We received confirmation on Monday (October 26.10) that the Chicago Bulls, given Cristiano's excellent preseason, have decided to sign him to a permanent contract. CR Flamengo regrets no longer having the athlete, but expresses enormous pride in having contributed decisively to his development. It's a dream for any basketball player to reach the NBA, a feat few achieve, especially at a club with the tradition of the Chicago Bulls. We are very happy that a very dedicated kid from a poor family has achieved such a goal, and Flamengo has given him all the support he needed to get there. We were absolutely right when we bet on him, despite much internal resistance and criticism, and the complete "disdain" of the specialized press, which praised young players from other clubs, strangely ignoring Cristiano's potential.
Best of luck to our dear Cris, "kick ass kid!" We're rooting for you so much. Represent the Pride of the Nation in the most powerful basketball game on the planet! We're sure that one day you'll once again wear our Sacred Mantle, with which you experienced the greatest joys of your basketball life. We miss you already!
This is the price of success. We've lost key players to the best basketball centers in the world—Europe and the NBA. We're rebuilding the team, severely hampered by the Brazilian economic crisis and the dollar at R$4/US$. Being a world champion is for the few; we have nothing to lament, only to work hard. This also reinforces the lesson of how crucial it is, in any sport, to strengthen the youth teams, which is also undergoing a profound overhaul at Flamengo basketball.
We will have a natural transition phase, but you can be sure that the "Pride of the Nation" will remain strong, competing vigorously for all the titles that are available.
Red-black greetings,
Alexandre Póvoa
VP Olympic Sports