By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
During the 2006-07 season, Vasilis Spanoulis decided to try his luck at the NBA and he signed with the Houston Rockets, but realized that Europe suited better for him. And if you thing the award he received, Europe loves him too.
Olympiacos’ captain was also China’s favorite player, after Euroleague for the first time gave to China’s fans the opportunity to vote for their loved one, thanks to an on-line contest organized by “RenRen”, the leading social networking platoform in China. “RenRen” had 160 million registered users in 2011 and boasts 31 million active monthly users.
Spanoulis received his award after Olympiacos’ practice and he said to Eurohoops: “I owe I big “thanks” to Chinese fans who were willing to vote for me and to declare me as their favorite player. This is something I really appreciate. I thank them from the bottom of my heart, for they love and appreciation. I feel even bigger responsibilities to be even better in the future”.
He didn’t forget to mention the main reason for his appeal in China. The fact that he was teammate with Yao Ming, in Houston. “We had an amazing year together. We developed a great friendship and a strong relationship. Unfortunately we weren’t able to play together, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is human relationships and I am really glad we have a friendship to connect us”.