Spanoulis final member of EuroLeague All-Decade Team

Vassilis Spanoulis, who claimed back-to-back EuroLeague titles as an Olympiacos player, is the final member of the competition’s All-Decade Team between 2010 and 2020.

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The EuroLeague announced Spanoulis’ inclusion in the All-Decade Team with this following statement:

“The final member of the 2010-20 EuroLeague All-Decade team as voted by fans, media, players and coaches is one of the best clutch players European basketball has ever seen. Led by his class and willpower, Olympiacos Piraeus became the only team to win back-to-back titles in the 2010s. He is the one and only Vassilis Spanoulis!

“It is impossible to review the past decade in the EuroLeague without talking about Spanoulis, a natural-born leader who made his competition debut with Panathinaikos Athens. Spanoulis was already a EuroLeague champion and Final Four MVP when he joined crosstown rival Olympiacos and, as the Reds' unquestionable leader, he raised his playing level to become one of the greatest players in European basketball history.”

Spanoulis revealed his emotions from becoming the last member of the All-Decade Team:

“Thank you everybody for voting for me to be in the All-Decade Team, and I also want to thank my presidents who have given me trust and belief over the years, the fans for loving and being next to me and my teammates for being there for me. We’re speaking about a team sport, and they always give their best for our team to win finals or make the finals. I also thank my coaches, assistants and all staff members including doctors and the press. They have always done a great job. You feel that you’re working in a family, and that makes your job easier. Sometimes, things don’t go to plan, but you have to stay with it, work hard and find a way to come back and be successful. I’ve always had great coaches and teammates. The most important thing is that we had great chemistry. When you have good chemistry, good people and hard workers, your job becomes easier. I enjoyed playing with these guys and the coaches. I am very lucky and blessed to play for this club. You really feel that people around you will help. Not only in the good moments, but also when things aren’t going well. They encourage you and believe in you. This is very important for me.”

The 37-year-old guard inspired Olympiacos to two successive EuroLeague titles in 2012 and 2013. Furthermore, in 2009, he had claimed his maiden EuroLeague championship with Panathinaikos before he switched across to Piraeus from Athens. 

In 2015, Spanoulis produced a stunning late performance for Olympiacos in their semi-final tie against CSKA Moscow, scoring 11 points in the final three minutes to fire the Erythrolefki to a memorable 70-68 triumph. Spanoulis had initially missed his first 11 shots of that particular game.

Spanoulis is currently the leading scorer in EuroLeague history. During the 2019/2020 campaign, the Greek legend averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 22 appearances for Olympiacos, with the Piraeus-based club occupying 11th position of the standings. 

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