Vassilis Spanoulis: The story of retirement / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

Vassilis Spanoulis decided to end his career. The greatest leader in the history of Olympiacos Piraeus informed club owners Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos about his decision and then shocked European basketball with a message on his Instagram. Spanoulis, having made his decision, asked for a meeting with the Angelopoulos brothers, in order to explain his thoughts to them.

It was during the 2010 FIFA World Cup final Olympiacos issued a historic announcement of their biggest signing ever. Eleven years later, symbolically it's in the days of Euro 2021, when the curtain on a unique trajectory eventually fell. Vassilis Spanoulis very much wanted to travel to Canada in order to boost Greece's slim chances at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He was delighted to return to the national team and to be given an opportunity to play in his third Olympic Games, after Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.

The calf injury, however, proved to be a contusion and the team captain was left out. Rick Pitino said he felt "a huge hole" in his heart because he had been counting too much on V-Span's presence on the team. For the American coach, it was very important to add the 38-year-old veteran next to Calathes and Sloukas. Pitino had substantial reasons to build on the leading presence of Spanoulis, who, in an express tournament, would not have to spend much energy.

The truth is Greece training sessions were particularly strenuous because the Hall of Fame coach wanted to put high intensity and increase the speed of ball movement on the floor, so that Greece could benefit from an early offense. Obviously, a contusion could be overcome, but for Spanoulis it was the drop that overflowed the glass. "Kill Bill" was beginning to understand that his body could not respond the way it had in previous years. No matter how many hours of training he put in, injuries kept creeping in as a reminder of his fragility. The key reason for Spanoulis withdrawal was his mindset, the one that got him to become a legend. Spanoulis had always been the leading man and wanted to leave at the peak of his powers and before being reduced to a secondary, supporting role. Olympiacos had made clear to him that, should he decide to continue, next season he would be coming off the bench. The finish line had been drawn in his head on April 9, 2020, after the last game of the season for the Piraeus team against Khimki.

"It will be a pity if Spanoulis stopped playing in an empty stadium, but if Covid-19 sticks around for another five years, will he stop at 45? This man deserves a standing ovation, of course, but basketball is not so simple. You journalists and the fans look at it emotionally, I view it realistically. I am forced to do so, because I will be the one that will be taking the blame all season long," Olympiacos's coach Giorgos Bartzokas said in a post-game presser.

Credit Olympiacos BC

However, Spanoulis's decision to stop basketball did come as a surprise to the people of Olympiacos. The organization was not ready for his farewell to the sport and to the team he represented for 11 years. That's why the official announcements were issued on a day-by-day basis. It's no secret that the Larissa-born guard wanted to play for another year and that would only happen with Olympiacos. Other teams were reportedly interested, but there was no chance of him changing city or team during his final year. Once the team had decided to turn the page and put other players in a leading role, the situation became more clear to him. Had Spanoulis been able to join the national team, the appointment with the Angelopoulos brothers would have been postponed or not have taken place at all. It's no secret that he had been waiting for the club to let him know of their intentions. He wished Olympiacos had told him that they were still counting on him as a veteran leader. For the first time, he was the one who asked for a meeting, not the owners. The "Reds" were announcing players, like Walkup and Fall, but Spanoulis - and Printezis - were considered standard operating procedure. But in contrast to the forward from Syros, who publicly expressed his wish to play for another year, Spanoulis's intentions and thoughts were a well-kept secret.

Credit Olympiacos BC

One thing was certain, though: his desire to feel important was non-negotiable and the same goes for his decision to quit basketball on his own terms. That's what he had promised to himself - and he didn't miss on that final shot either.

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