Spanoulis becomes all-time leading EuroLeague scorer
In Piraeus, Olympiacos conceded a disappointing defeat to Fenerbahce, but the legendary Vassilis Spanoulis did become the all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague history.
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With a little less than three minutes remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, and Olympiacos trailing by 13, Spanoulis drained a trademark three-pointer to historically break the record:
Overall, Spanoulis - a three-time EuroLeague champion - now boasts 4,157 points in the competition across 318 appearances, moving into first place of the all-time scoring rankings ahead of Juan Carlos Navarro (4,152). Giorgos Printezis, a teammate of Spanoulis at Olympiacos, occupies third place with 3,112 points:
However, despite Spanoulis’ tallying 14 points and eight assists on the night, Olympiacos suffered a damaging 96-87 loss to Fenerbahce at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, a loss which leaves the Erythrolefki languishing in 13th place with a miserable 6-11 record.
“I have a bitter taste in the end, because we didn’t win,” said Spanoulis after the game ended. “You can’t beat a team like Fenerbahce with this defensive performance. I would like to thank my teammates, coaches, management and fans who have trusted me throughout my career, all I care about is the team. I have never thought about my statistics. My motivation is to return to the playoffs and the Final Four. I feel blessed for what I have achieved.”
Interestingly, Spanoulis only made his EuroLeague debut when he was 23 years of age, and he subsequently won the tournament once with Panathinaikos (2009) and twice with Olympiacos (2012, 2013). The 37-year-old returned to action with Olympiacos this year after a serious injury in the previous campaign.
