By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
The Greek Federation president, among his many statements in a recent interview, said that Pau Gasol isn’t a player. His comments had people all over the world reacting and one of them was the Spanish Federation president, Jorge Garbajosa.
According to Garbajosa, the comments made by Vassilakopoulos were a big mistake: “When he listens to what he said, he will realize that he made a big mistake. Criticizing players like Pau Gasol is a huge mistake not only nationally but globally. He (Vassilakopoulos) also refers to retirement when Gasol played at an excellent level last season and takes care of his body professionally. He (Gasol) also faced the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs this year, one of the best teams in NBA history.”
Besides, the Spanish president also made comments about ‘Don Pau’ saying the following: “Pau is 38 years old and takes care of his body in a great way. Every year he is present in before the EuroBasket and the World Cup. We will not tolerate anyone to criticize Gasol.”
Vassilakopoulos also made comments about the level of play in the NBA, and Garbajosa replied: “Since 1999, we have been firmly in all semifinals, 90% of the people would like to witness Spain declining. At the same time, he spoke about the decline of the NBA, which is continually expanding and breaking TV records. It’s a little absurd. It makes no sense.”
Finally, he also commented on his relationship with Giorgos Vassilakopoulos stating that with other countries Spain has a better relationship: “There are other presidents with whom we have better relationships. With the Greek president, it’s not a bad relationship although we will not talk often.”