By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
In most cases a Euroleague game may bring up an interesting rivarly, but tonight at the Peace and Friendship Stadium of Piraeus we have a story of brotherly love.
Olympiacos and Crvena Zvezda don’t share only the same colours, but their social background was also similar and since 1986 and football game of Crvena Zvezda against Panathinaikos – the “eternal rival” of Olympiacos – the Ultras of the two teams have been connected and fraternized.
Olympiacos has played just three basketball games against Crvena Zvezda, the Greeks have won them all, but this is just a footnote.
Here’s what happened on the 7th of November 2014 at Belgrade with the Serbian fans sining in Greek the trademark Olympiacos fans’ chant “something magical”.
The two clubs are also connected by 10 players and a coach, Dragan Sakota, who have been members of both teams. And there’s also Milos Teodosic, a notorious fan of Crvena Zvezda – you can see him cheering for Zvezda alongside Darko Milicic in a football game – who also made his name in the European top level with Olympiacos.
Here are the players and the coach connecting the two clubs
| name | position | Seasons in Olympiacos | Seasons in Crvena Zvezda |
| Dragan Tarlac | center | 1992-2000 | 1990-1992 |
| Dusan Vukcevic | Forward | 1997-2001, 2004 | 1993-1995 |
| Dusan Jelic | center | 2001-2002 | 1991-1992, 2000-2001 |
| Sofoklis Schortsanitis | center | 2005-2010 | 2015 |
| Vrbica Stefanov | point guard | 2006-2007 | 2006 |
| Scoonie Penn | point guard | 2006-2007, 2010 | 2002-2003 |
| Lorence Roberts | Forward | 2007 * | 2008-2009 |
| Igor Milocevic | guard | 2008-2009 | 2005-2008 |
| Marco Keselj | Forward | 2010-2012 | 2008-2010 |
| Pero Antic | Forward | 2011-2013 | 2005-2007 |
| Dragan Sakota | coach | 2003-2004 | 2005-2007 |