The Boston Celtics were evidently luckier than previously thought to land rookie Spanish forward Hugo Gonzalez in the 2025 NBA Draft, it seems. Per the man himself via a recent interview on the “Drafteados” podcast YouTube channel, Gonzalez spoke at length with Gonzalez in a wide-ranging interview, during which the topic of the draft and his eventual path to Boston came up.

Per the man himself, there was more than one NBA ball club higher up in the draft than the Celtics who were kicking the tires on picking up Gonzalez, but a key sticking point emerged with all of those teams save Boston. “There were two franchises ahead of Boston that asked me if I wanted to be drafted, but that I had to stay in Europe for a year, to which I told them that, in that case, I said no, that for now I wasn’t interested,” explained Gonzalez via our sister site HoopsHype.

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“And then (there was) a destination that I thought I was going to go to, and it didn’t go (through), he added. “Then one call and two minutes later, (I am) on TV going to Boston.”

Oct 8, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer (24) dribbles as Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Oct 8, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer (24) dribbles as Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

While some Celtics fans were understandably perplexed by the move at the time given how little playing time the Madrid native had been granted playing in Europe for Real Madrid, the context of his tenure there has since become better understood (he was playing behind a number of former NBA vets).

And more importantly, his play in Las Vegas Summer League and preseason action with the Celtics have revealed exactly why Boston took him in the first round, with Gonzalez looking ready to play at the NBA level in limited minutes.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Hugo Gonzalez on how the Celtics nearly got scooped by other teams in the draft