Thomas Walkup extends gratitude to Sloukas, talks Greek passport case / News - Basketnews.com

Kostas Sloukas' game-winner allowed Thomas Walkup to clear himself for a near-fatal mistake he made in the dying seconds of Fenerbahce-Olympiacos Game 3. The American guard described how he reacted to his teammate's buzzer-beater and admitted to being mostly unaware of how he came to obtain Greek citizenship.

Credit: Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Of all the players in Olympiacos Piraeus' locker room celebratingKostas Sloukas' buzzer-beating game-winner against hosts Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Thomas Walkup was by far the most relieved man.

Player of the Game EFF 34 Kostas Sloukas Points 25 Accuracy 9-12 Rebounds 4 Assists 6

When Tyler Dorsey missed the go-ahead shot for Fenerbahce with 27 seconds on the game lock, Walkup went first for the defensive rebound, securing the Reds' last possession. Or maybe not?

The American guard was ready to pass the ball, but something changed his mind. In a state of confusion, he passed the ball to Dyshawn Pierre's hands. All of a sudden, Fenerbahce had just found a lifeline.

"It was just a miscommunication. Pierre just kind of came back into the picture. I was already halfway through throwing the pass," Walkup explained to BasketNews after Game 3 at the Ulker Sports Arena.

As Marko Guduric sank a mid-range jumper, leaving less than four seconds on the game clock and causing Giorgos Bartzokas to call a timeout, Fenerbahce fans celebrated, guided by the certainty that their team would come out victorious and get the upper hand in the series.

But Kostas Sloukas had different thoughts, sinking the biggest shot of his career and handing Olympiacos the most important win of the season so far.

"Thank God, Slou made that shot. He saved me for sure," Walkup acknowledged.

It's certain that if it hadn't been for the Greek guard's miraculous shot, Walkup would have been labeled as the main guy responsible for Olympiacos' loss. That's why the Texas-born player couldn't hide his feelings of gratitude after all was over.

"It felt amazing!" he exclaimed. "It was a redemption shot, 100%. As I was running after him, I was like, 'Thank you, Slou, thank you.' I kissed him and thanked him."

Olympiacos Piraeus / Schedule

Olympiacos Piraeus Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul78-82 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Olympiacos Piraeus71-72 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Olympiacos PiraeusFri17:45

Walkup was all smiles, and his face was glowing upon exiting the locker room, where Olympiacos players had been celebrating a win that brings them one step away from the Final Four.

Walkup might be familiar with the ins and outs of life in Kaunas, where the Final Four will be hosted, but the playoff series against a tough opponent has turned into a real test for him and the regular season leaders.

Olympiacos wouldn't fancy becoming the first team to be ousted from the Final Four after finishing first in a 34-game marathon. Sloukas made sure the three-time EuroLeague champs would stay alive in the race, and Walkup showed his appreciation.

"It was a Sloukas-takeover game," he observed.

"He didn't just make the last shot. He played great for as many minutes as he was on the court. He passed the ball well, he shot the ball well, dominated on the offensive end, and played some good defense too. He was amazing tonight. He's our guy, and tonight, he proved why."

In his postgame statements for the Greek media, Sloukas appeared confident that there was no way Fener would have won.

He also made it clear on the court, as he was chasing loose balls, immersing himself into the rebounding battle, and finishing plays off the dribble even from the right-hand side.

Since Sloukas decided that Game 3 was a battle with no tomorrow for Olympiacos, his teammates had to follow in his footsteps.

"Yeah, I am a big believer that you do your work early," Walkup confirmed and corroborated the Greek player's claim.

"It's not the type of series to say, 'Let's move on to the next one.' We had to win that one. Hopefully, we'll learn from Game 2, and we'll show up better in Game 4."

It would be a cliché to say that basketball is a game of runs, but Wednesday's outing in Istanbul showed that the expression has stronger ties to reality than any other basketball motto.

While the win could have gone to either side, as Fener and Olympiacos were exchanging big baskets throughout the second half, only one side could prevail.

"I feel like we deserved to win this game. If Fenerbahce would have won it, they could say the same," Walkup admitted.

"It was a very evenly fought match, back and forth all the time. It was a gritty win, and I'm happy to come out on top in a tight series like this."

Giorgos Bartzokas stressed that pressure will be on Fenerbahce's side now, but Walkup isn't too eager to join that conversation.

"I don't know. I wasn't feeling so much pressure in general, to be honest. It's all eyes on Game 4. We're not thinking about a Game 5," he pointed out.

Even though Nick Calathes hit a corner three to make it 69-66 and Tarik Black missed two free throws in the following action, the 31-year-old guard didn't get the impression that the gamewas slipping away in the last minutes.

"No, never. We didn't," he firmly responded.

"You have a chance to win on the road in front of a hostile crowd. We have some of the best scorers and playmakers in all of Europe on our team. The thought of 'Oh, when are we going to get a good shot?' or 'Is this slipping away?' never crossed my mind."

Another thought that had never crossed Walkup's mind up until a few weeks ago was of him acquiring a Greek passport and becoming a naturalized citizen, potentially eligible to join the national team.

"It feels amazing. I'm honored and excited. I'm looking forward to the near future," he commented on a case that made headlines in Greece since it had been a well-kept secret for almost the entire process.

When the news came out, the case had been advanced to such an extent that there was no point in anyone refuting the report.

The process was expedited, and the passport was issued very quickly. Walkup said he was mostly unaware of what many people entrusted with the case were doing behind the scenes.

Credit FIBA/BasketNews illustration

"I wasn't expecting anything, you know? I was kind of out of the loop, to be honest, for most of it."

But when did the entire process start? Walkup isn't the right person to answer the question.

"That's for people higher up than me. I was loosely aware of what was happening. I took the steps that I needed to take," he argued.

"For those people that wanted me to get it, I'm very thankful. Of course, I wanted to be able to represent Greece. It's something you don't take lightly."

Obtaining a passport is the first step. Getting the call-up to play for the national team is a different story, and -- as chance would have it -- Olympiacos' playoff pairing with Fenerbahce didn't facilitate Walkup to establish a rapport with Dimitris Itoudis.

The two haven't met to discuss their potential future together in view of the upcoming FIBA World Cup.

"It was a little weird with the timing, and then, we were playing Fener," Walkup explained. "But I will definitely reach out after the playoffs, and we'll talk at some point."

Since Shaquielle McKissic's wife, Beril, has already adopted a Greek surname in her Twitter profile, Walkup does feel inclined to do the same.

"I'll take Thomas Walkupopoulos," he joked. "I like it. It has a nice ring to it."

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