By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
After 145 games with the Greek national team, Vasilis Spanoulis called it a day, living behind him a great legacy: The best scorer of the last decade and a great leader! His iconic moments with the national team are a tale of triumphs and basketball dreams few have ever dreamed to reach.
Spanoulis will present in the last three biggest achievements of the Greek national team during the last 15 years and he was always the top scorer of the team in all the tournaments he appeared after Mundobasket 2006.
Since junior…
He already had a reputation when he was the local star in the junior teams of his home town, Larisa. When he became a member of the junior national teams, this reputation started to grow all over Greece. His first big tournament was the U18 Eurobasket. Greece won the bronze medal in 2000 as the third leading scorer behind Christos Tapoutos and Haris Markopoulos.
It was his first important tournament and after that he was always a member of the junior national teams in the Mediterranean games of 2001 and also in the U20 team which won the gold in Eurobasket 2002. Spanoulis was the top passer of the Greek team, playing along Zisis and Bourousis.
After this his rise was fast. He became faster, a better scorer and he improced his court vision. He signed for Marousi BC, becoming one of the big attractions of the team and he was a member of the Greek men’s team in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Coach Panagiotis Giannakis included him in the team, a decision that was criticized as many journalists considered Spanoulis not mature enough for the national team, while Giannakis was also his coach at Marousi. The future proved right Giannakis as Spanoulis started to feel a part of the men’s team while he was still very young.
Spanoulis was there at Belgrade, when Greece won the gold medal in Eurobasket 2005. However he exploded next year in Mundobasket 2006. Spanoulis was the top scorer of the Greek team and had 22 points against Team USA in the historic semifinal win against stars like Lebron James and Dwayne Wade. This game became his call card for the upcoming season, as he had already signed for the Houston Rockets.
Spanoulis was one of the four pillars of the greatest ever Greek back court. Alongside Papaloukas, Diamantidis and Zisis they created the core of a team which was using three tall guards on the court, all pick and roll masters, ready to destroy every defense.
In 2007 for the third tournament in a row Spanoulis was the top scorer of the Greek national team. With an amazing three pointer he “killed” Croatia in the quarterfinals and he had also a great game in the lost semifinal against Spain.
The situation was similar in 2008 Olympics. Spanoulis started the get hot from the pre Olympic tournament and in the Olympics he was the top scorer and passer of the Greek national team. In the quarterfinal game against Argentina he took the last shot again, but this time, unlike one year ago against Croatia, he missed. That was the last time the four guards played together.
In Eurobasket 2009 Greece played for the first time without Papaloukas and Diamantidis. Spanoulis became the de facto leader of the team and despite the absences, he led Greece to the bronze against all prediction. Of course he was again the top scorer of the team.
In Mundobasket 2010, once again he scored more than any of his teammates, registering a personal best against Puerto Rico with 28 points.
In the summer of 2011 Spanoulis missed the Eurobasket because he was injured and he returned to the pre-olympic tournament of Venezuela. It was once of the most traumatic experiences of the Greek national team, which lost the spot to the Olympics after losing to Nigeria. Spanoulis anser to that: “The national team has provided a lot for me and I will be here always in order to pay the team back, cause I love it. I will play as long as I am healthy. I will be always eager to play. I am a soldier of the national team”.
That was evident in 2013 in Slovenia. Spanoulis played injured, but he ignored the pain and tried to do his best. He played against Finland just three days after a sprain, he took a risk against his health and in the end he couldn’t provide everything he could, while the Greek national team didn’t manage to do much.
His health issues kept him away from the team also in last season’s FIBA World Cup. back he was back again in this year’s Eurobasket, being once again the top scorer of the team in averages. Still what Spanoulis gave to this team was more than points. His determination, his fearless game and his focus are more important than numbers. And when it’s the time for someone to get the ball for the last shot, he didn’t and will never hide…
Spanoulis on the national team
| Tournament | Points | Assists |
| Eurobasket 2015 | 11,4 | 5,2 |
| Eurobasket 2013 | 16,7 | 2,5 |
| Pre Olympic tournament 2012 | 19,3 | 5,7 |
| Mundobasket 2010 | 13,7 | 2,3 |
| Eurobasket 2009 | 14,1 | 4,2 |
| Olympic Games 2008 | 14,3 | 3 |
| Pre Olympiac tournament 2008 | 12,8 | 3,8 |
| Eurobasket 2007 | 11,7 | 2 |
| Mundobasket 2006 | 11,7 | 2 |
| Eurobasket 2005 | 2,4 | 0,3 |
| Olympic Games 2004 | 3,8 | 1 |