“Sometimes it does get a bit much,” the Trail Blazer rookie phenom from Spain says about the attention from fans around Portland.
Fernandez smiles.
“It’s good; I’m not complaining,” he says. “I love the people here. But sometimes you prefer some privacy. When I go to dinner with my family or girlfriend, I need my space. Sometimes people don’t give you that space.”
In his hometown of Palma de Mallorca on Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Fernandez and tennis star Rafael Nadal are las más populares celebridades (translation: the most popular celebrities).
“In Spain, there’s a big difference,” Fernandez offers. “In my city, everybody knows me. When I’m walking somewhere, they may say hello, but they respect my privacy. Here, it’s, ‘Hey, hey, hey.’ I don’t like that part so much.”