What has happened to Jordi Villacampa in recent years?
After I retired from the presidency after 18 years, I started my own business and now I work for a digital publishing company and I am the ambassador of an electrical company in Lleida.
You’ve been watching media…
In this life you have to do things all the time. I am a very active person and I like to do things and put it all together, leaving the media aside.
And now suddenly we have seen on the digital networks this version of JV8 with your basics, your ‘retro’ skirts and your style that matches the brand.…
It was recently released but has been in the making for a long time. You know that when I was playing, the model of Kelme Villacampa shoes was made that at that time in the 80s and 90s was very successful. And then it ended there after I finished the race. It was also a hit a decade ago. And now with the company ‘Lefties’, Kelme and I have launched a clothing line with my brand JV8.
Villacampa was happy to be able to restore his boots which were very successful at the time. / VALENTINE ENRICH
Rediscovering your name and image gives you joy, I think…
Of course. But it makes me happy because there are a lot of people in their 80s, 90s, who are already ‘boomers’, old people, who have a nose and a lot of memories of that time of black and white basketball where we opened a lot of borders. , where basketball was the game most of the time and we have the best memories. And then, as we progressed with these sneakers, a very careful and beautiful fabric was also created, available to everyone. The collection went to market on my 61st birthday. It was all a little more ready for that to happen.
And where can you find the JV8 collection?
It can be found in the existing ‘Lefties’ stores in Spain, in the national sector, and you can also shop the collection on the website.
Remember the moment of victory
And what memories do you bring back from your time as an actor?
For me it has also been a joy, a realization, let’s say. That today I have a personal brand, sports, with a logo, and everything is very well made, whose collection is very cool, that children can also wear it because it is very good. Well, that’s fine, let’s hope the collection goes well, I’d like it to be loved and enjoyed by people, especially people of our time, and to tell their children what they experienced back then.
A good time to recycle some ‘retro’ stuff…
Now there’s a lot of retro, a lot of vintage, people also like to remember the time because we’re in a situation, in a society that moves very fast, you know? And what happened yesterday has already gone out of fashion and we are running again, and here we stop time to remember some years that were brilliant in everything, in basketball, not only in the club but also in sports. all basketball games.
Now there is a lot of ‘retro’, a lot of ‘vintage’, people also like to remember the past because we are in a situation, in a society, that moves very fast in everything.
And do you think Penya can return to these old times of success?
The group changed a lot. Now it has a strong shared base, which I think helps to be sustainable, and when you are sustainable sometimes projects can go well. They should be long-term projects, La Penya continues to have ideas to bring home players, young players…
Although they always end up in other groups, not like your problem…
Now it is difficult not to release them but to promote them because there is a lot of competition, there are always big teams who sign, understandable, but now the issue of American universities paying money for young players has come up again. . La Penya must continue with that philosophy, which I understand it must do, which distinguishes us from other groups, which says that when you talk about ‘pedrera’ you think about Joventut.
Villacampa greets the director of SPORT, Joan Vehils, after arriving at the registration office / VALENTINE ENRICH
Do you see Joventut winning titles?
It is very difficult to win titles, and this also gives credit to our generation, to a team that has won, how difficult it is to repeat what we achieved at that time.
Do you admire the calmness of the band now, as opposed to your time?
Well, all cases like this cause them problems, 18 years and many years, but I have felt very good and had a very good time at times that maybe people say, yes, it is true, getting to play in the European League, we became champions of the Copa del Rey. .., we don’t stop finding players like Ricky, Rudy, Pau Ribas, Mumbrú, the generation is winning. Most of us had many good years, it’s also true that we had many years of bad times and fighting to the death because the team was not progressing and we made efforts, but I think most of us were just thinkers, we looked for resources in other places to have more money , to be more powerful.
Do you feel like you’ve been in a dream like green-black?
This experience has enriched me greatly. It’s been the best part of my life, the club I love, the club I’ve been in, 18 years as a player, 18 as president, it’s amazing. It is difficult for a player to start and finish his work with his team. It costs a lot of money. Epi at Barça is the legend of that club, but if you look, not many have had a career like that.
Would you like to see Ricky again at La Penya?
That’s what we all would have liked, it’s Ricky who started at La Penya, trained, crossed all the bars, went to Barça, won, had a great career in the NBA and could have ended up where he was. It started Well, it would be great, but you have to respect it and the decisions you make, whatever they may be. He is ‘on the fence,’ we must respect him and his decision is what will win and will be good.
Villacampa realizes that Penya is facing a slower time than when he was president / VALENTINE ENRICH
Is basketball today very different from what you experienced in your time?
Today everyone is better physically than we are today. It was a different kind of basketball, I’m not saying it’s good or bad, but now physically, yes, it’s clear, we’re stronger, we’re taller, the human evolution continues. And in terms of talent and knowledge of the game, it’s probably the same as what we’ve played. The idea is the same, now there are many statistics, there are many videos, there is scouting, there are many tools to see the opponent, look at yourself and give it to the players quickly, all this has changed a lot. . The digital story has also helped a lot, so that today at half time you can have a complete summary of the game, in my time this did not exist.
We would all love to see Ricky in black and green at the end of his career, but he is in danger, we have to respect him and his decision is the one that will win and it will be the best.
But it’s still basketball…
I think the concept of basketball is the same, but of course now everything is done very quickly, the shots are done quickly, the defense is very strong, physically we are strong. And this happens quite a bit in football too. Yes, now the game changes very quickly.
You were an important person in the Spanish team. How do you see the improvement without Gasols?
Here in Spain we will have a big problem soon with the team. There will not be enough talent to make it to the national team. If we look at Endesa League or Euroleague teams, there are already a few national teams. In general, there are groups that create and try to serve, but most of them are foreigners and they lose a lot of knowledge with people and I think it is getting worse.
Thank you for visiting us at 45 years of SPORT…
Thank you very much, I remember as a boy buying a newspaper because it was the first to be printed in color. I wish you all the best for the future.
