Monaco has named Vassilis Spanoulis, a EuroLeague legend, as the new head coach of AS Monaco on a two-year deal, with an option for a third. This marks Spanoulis’s first head coaching role in Europe’s premier club basketball competition.
The 42-year-old replaces Sasa Obradovic, who led Monaco for the past three seasons. Under Obradovic, the team secured a 7-4 record in the EuroLeague this season, with Manuchar Markoishvili temporarily stepping in as head coach during Round 11.
Spanoulis’s return to EuroLeague coaching is highly anticipated. His first two games in charge will be against Greek giants Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, two clubs with deep personal significance for the Greek coach.
Spanoulis spent four seasons with Panathinaikos, winning the 2009 EuroLeague title, before making a controversial move to Olympiacos, where he secured back-to-back EuroLeague championships in 2012 and 2013.
As a player, Spanoulis was one of EuroLeague’s all-time greats. A three-time EuroLeague champion, Spanoulis’s clutch performances in the 2012 and 2013 finals have made him a basketball icon.
He retired in 2021 after 11 seasons with Olympiacos, leaving behind a legacy as the all-time top scorer in EuroLeague history until recently surpassed by Mike James.
Now, Spanoulis takes over a Monaco team with lofty ambitions, led by reigning EuroLeague MVP Mike James. James, who became the league’s all-time leading scorer last season, will be a key player under Spanoulis’s guidance.
Before this appointment, Spanoulis had built a solid coaching resume with Peristeri Athens, where he made history by guiding the team to its first-ever Greek Cup final in 2023. He also led the squad to the FIBA Champions League Final Four and was named Coach of the Year.
