Former lottery pick Mario Hezonja regrets joining the New York Knicks in 2018 after spending his first three seasons with the Orlando Magic.
Hezonja, who just won the Euroleague title last year, revealed this in an interview with Croatian outlet Jutarnji List on February 28.
“It’s all good, but I made a big mistake choosing the Knicks,” Hezonja said. “I was 24, and it was a retirement move, that signing where you go at the end of your career, and not with a lot of energy and desire that I had.”
The No. 5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Hezonja said he fell in love with the sweet words of the former Knicks regime.
“I heard about big plans, about how they should be, that they hurt me in Orlando, that they didn’t let me play,” Hezonja said. “And I agreed, but it turned out we were a daycare center and that wasn’t a good situation for anyone. The guys broke up, I think I was the last one left hoping for something. It wasn’t easy, even though the coaches helped me. However, when you are on a losing streak, they attach the label that you are [not] interested in winning, that you are this way and that.”