ABALDE Tamara

General
OLYMPIC SIBLINGS
His brother Alberto is also a basketball player for Spain and both were named to their respective squads for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "It is something amazing, playing at my first Olympic Games and being able to share it with your own sister is like a dream," Alberto said. "We are very competitive but between us, as siblings, there has never been competition. We rejoice and take great pride in each other's successes. We make a perfect difference between matches and life off the court." (elcorreogallego.es, 19 Jul 2021; talentoabordo.com, 12 Jun 2019; as.com, 04 Jul 2018)

10-YEAR BREAK
She played for Spain at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and at the 2009 EuroBasket in Latvia, winning bronze, but then she did not compete internationally for 10 years until returning for the 2019 EuroBasket in Latvia and Serbia. "The years passed and I wasn't called up and I understood it because there was a group that was playing well and was successful. I understood it was complicated and I focused on what I had to do each day. Both as a person and as an athlete I have matured a lot. 10 years of your life changes you. I would say that I am at a point in my career where I'm in a position of maturity, of knowing what I do well and what not so well, what I have to work on, exploit and give from myself, what different teams want from me and how to adapt to different roles. I feel much safer in all those aspects and I really enjoy playing more. I am more comfortable with the player I am and I find myself with much more confidence and a greater knowledge of the game, because it's true when they say experience is the best teacher. More games played, more years and more training make you learn many things." (elcorreogallego.es, 03 Feb 2020; lavozdegalicia.es, 25 Jun 2019; seleccionfemenina.feb.es, 09 Feb 2020)

FAMILY CLUB
When she signed with Valencia Basket in 2018, her younger brother Alberto was playing for the men's team at the club. The siblings grew up playing basketball together. "Playing together [in Valencia] is a unique opportunity. It's unlikely enough to end up in the same city, but we're at the same club. It's great. We had been living apart for a long time. It would be a dream to go the [2020] Olympic Games together." (as.com, 05 Jul 2018; feb.es, 05 Oct 2018; as.com 01 Mar 2020)