By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos captain Vassilis Spanoulis became the all-time leading scorer in the history (1958 and onward) of all editions of the European Champions’ Cup during the EuroLeague win of his team over Crvena Zvezda Thursday (10/12).
“It’s a big record but I don’t think about it,” Spanoulis said per Olympiacos. “What I want is to have health and help my team win. I love basketball a lot and have a big motivation. I forget about the past and everything that I have accomplished and I think only of the present because I am judged on that. Basketball is my life., There are days when I can’t sleep when I think of what I’ve done wrong and what I should do. I have this ‘bug’, I want to win.”
Spanoulis, 38, entered the game with 4.309 points and needed to score 13 to pass Barcelona legend Juan Carlos Navarro who retired in 2018 with 4.321 points overall. He finished the match with 14 points to now sit at the top of this illustrious list.
The third-place belongs to Hall of Famer Nick Galis. The Greek-American guard has scored a total of 4.045 points in the top continental championship while averaging 32 points per game during the 1980s when European competition games were very few in comparison to the modern era.
“Me personally and the whole club are extremely proud of him,” Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas said for Spanoulis after the game vs. Red Star on EuroLeague TV. “It’s a big accomplishment.”
Spanoulis, a three-time EuroLeague champion (2009 with Panathinaikos and 2012 and 2013 with Olympiacos) season MVP (2013) and three-time Final Four MVP has played in EuroLeague for 15 seasons, including the current one, since his debut with Panathinaikos in 2005.
“I want to congratulate my teammate Billy,” said Olympiacos guard Kostas Sloukas. “I’m very proud of him, the whole team is.”