“[It’s about] hustling for your family, not just in basketball,” said Hernangomez. “I mean hustling is his life. He tried to make his dream come true at 16, but had to give up that dream to raise a child. He has hustled all his life. He grew up without a father, he hustles for his family, for his mom, for his daughter.”

However, much like Sandler’s character, his hustle is all about giving something up or letting things go in order to have the life he’s destined for, a message that he hopes resonates with those watching.

“To be honest, life is hard, everybody has ups and downs, we are all the same,” Hernangomez continued. “I got my ups and my downs, but you gotta just keep going, keep working and keep trusting. Be around people who trust you and help to motivate you. That’s how it goes. When you are in those high moments, you gotta keep working because you never know what can happen tomorrow.”

Hustle is now streaming on Netflix.

Juancho Hernangomez