By Nikos Varlas
In 2009 came to this world the first born son of Spanoulis family, Thanasis… the beast (there is an ongoing rumor that even his strong daddy can’t control him when he starts his mischief in the house!), and it’s a matter of days for the family to get a fourth member! The spouse of Vasilis, Olympia, will give birth to one more baby boy just before the final four of Istanbul.
The birth of the first child coincided with Spanoulis taking the MVP trophy of Berlin’s final four in 2009 and the title of Euroleague Champion with Panathinaikos. Just before the arrival of his second son, the captain of Olympiacos already holds the title of the Euroleague MVP for February! Is this an omen? Is there a chance for V-Span to achieve the incredible record of two for two in European crowns the seasons that his children are born?
It will be decided by karma, fate, or… Siena in the play offs, but he also has to “answer” personally to this question! Olympiacos is improving as a team, it was evident in the Top 16, but Spanoulis is still the franchise player, the guy that pulls every body else through.
History has proved that the 29 years old guard leaves nothing to luck! He believes in himself and he is one of the few athletes in the history of Greek sports that decided to go from Panathinaikos to Olympiacos, or vice versa, choosing to cross an other path and not to stay put. This shows much for his character.
Is there a guy who believes that Spanoulis is better in anything else than basketball? Yes, his teammate in Olympiacos Kyle Hines!
“I have lived Vasilis for six months and my opinion is clear. He is better person than player! He lives for basketball, he breathes for his team and he has a magical way to affect positively everybody with his words and actions. From the first day we met, we talked so much about anything, but always I have something to learn from him. We hang out outside the courts, he likes to invite people in his home and he loves playing with his kid”, says to eurohoops.net the… twitter master Kyle Hines who tries to explain the secret of his teammate success.
“He is the first one to go in the court before practice and the last to leave. When you see an athlete who has already achieve so much in his career but still works so much and he is the captain of your team, you don’t have a choice. You have to do the same! He is so modest, he has his feet on the ground, he is level-headed and in the same time he is a fighter, he is competitive and a guy that works out every day like he has all the motive in the world. He is the role model for all the other, but I am not sure that he does it on purpose”.
He is a top player for the European standards? Hines disagree and puts the subject in a more… American dimension: “Billy is one of the best guards in the world. Not just in Europe. It means nothing that he could not adapt to the mentality of the NBA on and off the court. It was absolutely his choice to return in Europe. After his trade from Houston, he didn’t wanted to stay not even in San Antonio. Maybe he doesn’t like the one on one game they play there, because Spanoulis, even thought his is a natural leader, he likes to play for his team and his teammates”.
Hines appears to be sure that the talent of his teammate is not limited. “If he stayed in the States, now he certainly would have become one of the best NBA guards. He is in the same level with many important NBA players”, says Hines who has an extra reason to be so kind to Spanoulis. He knows that Vasilis is the guy with the ball in his hands and Kyle, after a good pick, can get a pin point pass from him and score!
For a player with Spanoulis’s mentality, being February MVP is just an appetizer. For him is more important that his teammates have the same opinion with… Euroleague that presented him with this award!
But our wish for his spouse, Olympia, is for his husband NOT to win the Euroleague this season. We are worried about that case, because then maybe she will have to… give birth to a new baby every spring! Isn’t it so, Vasilis?