Mario Hezonja is Ready for His Second NBA Stint

As I said, for my American mindset that I have in summer is to improve. I think these past five seasons were like five summers put into one entire season – and it was just constantly one step ahead, one step ahead, improvement, improvement. And I think that got me back to where I belong. 

What are your early impressions of your new teammates with the Cavaliers? 

Hezonja: Impressive. Obviously, I know some of them from back in the day. 

Obviously, we have a very good group of players that have been playing together for so long, and that's helpful. And the younger guys, so to say, they're coming in and fitting in, I think, perfectly – because they understand immediately what to do. For some young players, when you get drafted to the team you ask: ‘What should I do?’ They tell you one thing, but they expect other things. I think here it’s very clear. 

And as I told you, seeing (Jaylon Tyson), seeing Donovan, seeing Evan, seeing Jarrett, seeing James Harden, it's kind of like wow! for me because I haven't had these opportunities in my in my career so far, you know? It was always like a reverse role. 

So, it's definitely cool to see guys on your team that can help you even more to get better. They can help the team win. It's definitely a cool thing. 

Kenny Atkinson played and coached overseas. How much will that help you with your transition back into the league? 

Hezonja: It was great to see.  

I feel people overreact to that, because it's not common, I guess, to see NBA personnel (overseas). But I feel like it's very, very different, and it's changing a lot. People want input about Europeans, about European ball, about European infrastructure. 

And then I need to separate Kenny as well, because Kenny is just, like, a basketball mastermind. Obviously, I know he played there, he played in Spain, he played in France, he played all over the place, so he understands us. But just the information that he has given back to me, the confidence, the trust he has in me is just so great. 

He can also relax that I don't need to show him anything. He knows that I know how to play basketball. So that was very, very cool because, you know, he has that mentality – always trying to do more, try to do better, try to elevate your game constantly. So, he has been really, really helpful. 

I mean, I told him: My entire NBA career is in your hands right now. Not only in his, but in our whole group. Everyone has been really great. 

“You always want that, like, is there gonna be an outside spark from somewhere? And I told Koby this, I loved that we looked at a different path to obtain a player with the experience and credibility (Mario) has. And I think it’s big to get the player at the right time in his career, right? (He’s) obviously a tremendously talented player. But, you know, when do you get that person in their career? So, I think we've got him at the right time, and he's been great in the gym. He gives us a physical presence. He's changed his body, become much more of a power guy. He still has the skill and the speed, but he's become a much more powerful player, which I think kind of fits today's NBA with all the switching and stuff. I’m just really excited where he's gonna fit in this puzzle. But he's been very impressive so far.”

When Hezonja and the group return from Spain, they’ll already be gearing up for the preseason opener slated for Thursday night at Rocket Arena. While fans wait for tipoff, Cavs.com sat down with Cleveland’s new forward to discuss the next chapter of his NBA journey with the Wine & Gold …

How did your NBA reunion and joining the Cavaliers come about? 

Mario Hezonja: Well, it was supposed to happen, I think, a year-and-a-half ago. But we were in a tough situation with my European team, and I didn't want to leave us in a bad spot. I wanted to fight for the playoffs, to stay with the team no matter what. It was a very rough year. 

And the Cavaliers were the team that was following me the most. And we had constant contact with them. 

I think Koby (Altman) is one of the greatest front office people I’ve met overall in the whole world. So, that played a lot into the into the decision. And, also, it’s like a respectful thing for me – because when somebody is following you and supporting you and respecting you, it would’ve been nonsense to make any other decision. 

What’s different about you than your first go-round in the NBA? 

Hezonja: Yeah, man, this is crazy. (laughs) 

The other day, I was looking through photos with my strength conditioning coach in Europe. We were laughing because I think I was 6-6, 190 (in my first NBA stint) and I'm 6-9, 260 now. So, yeah, it's different. 

But I had a specific purpose going back to Europe, too. The popular things to say are, you know, to dominate, to be good, to play a lot. But I went there with a specific goal of mine to win at every stage, to win in every country that I was in, to just keep progressing. To never get stale. Because I did kind of get a little bit stagnant in the last year or so there. And I didn't like it. 

So, I definitely try to use what I call my ‘American mindset.’ Every summer, I try to be in America, try to improve. 

I went back to Europe to reestablish myself and to win everything that I kind of missed, although I was very young (before being drafted in the NBA) when I was in Europe. 

But I also wanted to be with my team in Barcelona. I wanted to win everything, wanted to win Euroleague, Spanish leagues, all kinds of competitions that I played in. That way, I can go full-out, and I won’t think about going back. 

Every player on the current roster took a different journey to reach the Cavaliers, but none of them has experienced the hoops odyssey that Mario Hezonja has. 

Originally selected by Orlando with the 5^th overall pick of the 2015 Draft, Hezonja played in 330 games with the Magic, Knicks and Blazers – averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, making his lone playoff appearance with Portland in 2020. His best scoring season Stateside came in 2017-18, averaging 9.6 PPG with Orlando. His best year on the boards came the following season, averaging 4.1 RPG with New York. 

After his five-season stretch in the NBA, Hezonja returned overseas to resume his international career – one that began with Barcelona when he was just 17. Over the course of his 533-game career (2012-15 and 2020-26) with FC Barcelona (Spain), Panathinaikos BC (Greece), UNICS Kazan (Russia) and Real Madrid (Spain), he averaged 11.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per.

Hezonja also comes to Cleveland off a strong recent season with Real Madrid – averaging 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 80 games across EuroLeague, Liga ACB, the Spanish Cup and ACB Supercup competition.

A winner at every stop, Hezonja helped Panathinaikos BC win the Greek League championship during his single season with the club in 2021. In 2023, he was a key piece of Real Madrid’s march to the EuroLeague championship. He earned All-EuroLeague Second Team honors the following season and, last year, was named the 2025-26 Liga ACB Most Valuable Player. He also helped Real Madrid capture back-to-back Liga ACB championships in 2024 and 2025, 

Head Coach Kenny Atkinson was just one member of the Cavs front office who watched Hezonja perform overseas, and he talked about his new forward just before Camp tipped off last week. 

“I feel like I already have a good rapport and familiarity with his game,” said Atkinson. “I went over and watched him; watched Croatia play the Netherlands, which was a FIBA battle royale. It was awesome to see. It was great to see (Mario) in that environment. I’d kind of heard how well he's played these last five years in Europe, but I think he's gonna surprise some people, and I'm excited.