Greek basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis has had an illustrious career in European basketball, but his time in the NBA was short-lived. In a candid interview on X&O’s Chat Podcast, Spanoulis opened up about his brief journey in the NBA and the struggles he faced during his time with the Houston Rockets.
Spanoulis, who now serves as the head coach of EuroLeague team AS Monaco, shared that playing in the NBA was a childhood dream. “It was my dream. It was a dream for every kid. When we were kids, we wanted to go to the NBA — that was the dream,” he said, via HoopsHype. However, his NBA experience did not go as planned, with a series of challenges that led to a frustrating situation.
The Greek guard explained that he had a difficult relationship with coach Jeff Van Gundy during his rookie year. “I went there because I wanted to live the dream,” he recalled. “But I had a very bad situation with the coach. A big misunderstanding and a lot of different things. It made my life difficult.”
Spanoulis joined the NBA in the 2006-07 season, signing with the Houston Rockets after an impressive stint in Europe. However, his time on the court was limited. He played just 31 games for the Rockets, averaging 2.7 points in 8.8 minutes per game. Despite this, he had a chance to prove himself once again after the team changed coaches.
Spanoulis revealed that the Rockets’ new coach Rick Adelman wanted him to be part of the starting lineup. “He wanted me to start — to be in the starting five. He called me three times,” Spanoulis said. However, by then, the disappointment from his initial struggles had taken a toll. “I was so mad for the whole season, so frustrated, that I said, ‘No, thank you.’”
The situation took another turn when the Rockets traded Spanoulis to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Luis Scola. But once again, Spanoulis declined the opportunity. “There again, they wanted me. But again, I said no,” he explained. “I just wanted to play basketball. I didn’t like the situation. I respect everything they told me there, but I wanted something different.”
Though his time in the NBA didn’t last long, Spanoulis’ career in Europe flourished. He went on to become one of the most successful and decorated players in EuroLeague history. He won three EuroLeague championships (2009, 2012, 2013), was named EuroLeague MVP in 2013, and earned multiple EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors. Spanoulis was also named the EuroLeague Player of the Decade for 2010-2020 and was inducted into the EuroLeague Hall of Fame in 2022.
In addition to his EuroLeague success, Spanoulis had a storied career in the Greek League, where he won seven championships and five MVP awards. His leadership and clutch performances earned him the title of the most clutch player in EuroLeague history.
Reflecting on his NBA experience, Spanoulis emphasized that, despite the frustration, he has no regrets about his decision. “It was my dream, but in the end, I wanted to be in an environment where I felt comfortable,” he said. His career in Europe proved to be just that, as he became a legendary figure both in Greece and throughout Europe.
Now, as the head coach of AS Monaco, Spanoulis is working to shape the next generation of basketball stars.
Though Spanoulis chose to leave the NBA behind and thrive in Europe, the global love for basketball continues — including through platforms like https://sportbet.one/sports/basketball, where fans can follow and bet on games from leagues around the world.
