Global InformationVassilis Spanoulis information
 Spanoulis with Olympiacos in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peristeri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Greek Basket League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 August 1982 Larissa, Greece | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Greek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2004: 2nd round, 50th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Dallas Mavericks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1999–2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 7, 10, 11, 6, 14, 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2021[1]–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Gymnastikos S. Larissas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Maroussi Athens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Panathinaikos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Panathinaikos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2021 | Olympiacos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | EuroLeague Under-18 Next Generation Select Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Peristeri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Greece | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As a player:
Greek League career stats leaders
As coach:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career EuroLeague statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 4,455 (12.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 657 (1.8 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,607 (4.5 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vassilis Spanoulis (also commonly known as Bill Spanoulis or Billy Spanoulis,[3][4][5][6][7] Greek: Βασίλης Σπανούλης; born 7 August 1982) is a Greek professional basketball coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the pro club Peristeri Athens, of the Greek Basket League, as well as the head coach of the senior men's Greek national team. Spanoulis, who during his playing days was nicknamed "Kill Bill" during his professional club playing career, was a FIBA World Club Championship champion, a Triple Crown winner, a 3 time EuroLeague champion and 5 time EuroLeague finalist, a FIBA Europe League finalist, a 7 time Greek Basket League champion and 13 time Greek Basket League finalist, and a 4 time Greek Cup winner and 9 time Greek Cup finalist.
In October 2023, Spanoulis was voted the EuroLeague's "GOAT" ("Greatest of All Time") player, in a BasketNews.com poll of EuroLeague players. Spanoulis received 40% of the vote total, while the second placed vote getter, received a total of 14% of the vote.[8] Spanoulis' number 7 jersey, was retired by the Greek EuroLeague club Olympiacos Piraeus, on 17 September 2023.[9][10] Spanoulis is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball legends that ever played the sport in Europe, and at the peak of his playing career, he took the public's interest in European professional club basketball to a higher level. He spent the majority of his playing career in the Greek Basket League, winning four Greek League titles as a member of Panathinaikos Athens, and three Greek titles as a member of Olympiacos Piraeus. He also won three EuroLeague titles, one with the former club (2009), and two consecutively (2012 and 2013) with the latter. HoopsHype.com named Spanoulis one of the 75 Greatest International Players Ever in 2021.[11] In 2022, he was named a EuroLeague Legend (EuroLeaague's Hall of Fame).[12][13][14] He was also inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame, in 2022.[15]
During his pro playing career, at a height of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall, and a weight of 212 lb (96 kg),[16] Spanoulis played as a point guard-shooting guard, and was nicknamed Kill Bill, V-Span, Greek Lightning, and MVP ("Most Vassilis Player"), during his playing days[17][18] Spanoulis was named the Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2009,[19][20] the All-Europe Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013,[21] the International Sports Prize's World Athlete of the Year in 2013, and the EuroLeague MVP the same year. He earned a record eight All-EuroLeague Team selections and was voted the EuroLeague's 2010–2020 Player of the Decade.[2] He is also the second-leading EuroLeague's all-time career leader in total points scored.[22]
Spanoulis first played pro club basketball with Gymnastikos S. Larissas, and enjoyed a highly successful career start. His skill-set earned him a transfer to Athens and Maroussi, where he won the Greek Basket League's Best Young Player award for the 2002–03 season. Following an impressive 2004–05 season, during which he was the Greek Basket League Top Scorer, and helped lead Maroussi to the Greek Basket League's finals and the 2005 EuroCup quarterfinals, he moved to Panathinaikos, where he became one of European basketball's major stars.[23] In the 2005–06 EuroLeague season, Spanoulis made his debut in impressive fashion, earning his first All-EuroLeague Team selection as a rookie in the competition. After a stint in the NBA with the Houston Rockets during the 2006–07 season, he returned to Panathinaikos and helped lead them to a EuroLeague title in 2009, being voted the EuroLeague Final Four MVP in the process.[24]
Spanoulis' transfer to Olympiacos from Panathinaikos in the summer of 2010 marked a new step in his career, given Olympiacos' feisty rivalry with Panathinaikos. Within a young and rebuilding Olympiacos team, Spanoulis not only led the club to a EuroLeague title run in 2012, but he also went on to lead the team to a historical EuroLeague championship repeat in 2013. In the process, he gained another two EuroLeague Final Four MVP awards, thus joining Toni Kukoč as the only players in the history of European basketball to achieve that distinction on three occasions.[25] Under his leadership, Olympiacos reached another two EuroLeague Finals, in 2015 and 2017.
In 2017, European basketball historian Vladimir Stanković and the EuroLeague's expert basketball panel, named Spanoulis the "Most Clutch Player in EuroLeague History".[26] In 2020, Spanoulis was named the "Best EuroLeague Player of The 2010s Decade" by the readers of the website Eurohoops.net.[27]
Spanoulis played an instrumental role on the gold medal win of the Greece men's national basketball team at the 2005 FIBA EuroBasket. He was one of the main stars of Greece's 2006 FIBA World Cup silver medal team, scoring 22 points in the memorable victory over Team USA (101–95), in the tournament's semifinals. It was however, Greece's bronze medal at the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket, that emphasized Spanoulis' leadership within an injury-plagued Greece national team, and consequently earned him an EuroBasket All-Star Five honor.[28] In 2020, Spanoulis was named to the FIBA Summer Olympics 1992–2020 Dream Team, which consisted of the 25 best players in FIBA Summer Olympics history, since the inclusion of NBA players in 1992,[29] and to the FIBA EuroBasket 2000–2020 Dream Team, which consisted of the 5 best players of the FIBA EuroBasket, since the year 2000.[30]
- ^ Spanoulis returns to basketball courts as Adidas Next Generation Tournament head coach.
- ^ a b "Spanoulis: He had twice as many votes as the second for the 10-year-old team of the EuroLeague!". Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Raznatovic talks about everything!". Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Bobby Brown inks with Olympiacos". 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Career advice for Billy, and a hero's tribute for Dikembe". 24 January 2007. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "Rockets crush Spurs 93-72". Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Blatt hailed Spanoulis after first EuroLeague win together.
- ^ Donatas Urbonas (20 October 2023). "BasketNews Players Survey: EuroLeague GOAT, new rule, and best offseason signing". BasketNews.com. BasketNews.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Vassilis Spanoulis jersey gets retired by Olympiacos". BasketNews.com. BasketNews.com. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Johnny Askounis (17 September 2023). "Vassilis Spanoulis celebrated in jersey retirement ceremony". EuroHoops.net. EuroHoops.net. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "75 greatest international players ever: The HoopsHype list". 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Tribute to Vassilis Spanoulis, newest Euroleague Basketball Legend". 20 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Vassilis Spanoulis formally named EuroLeague legend". 20 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Vassilis Spanoulis to be honored as the newest EuroLeague Legend". Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Greek League Hall of Fame welcomes Ford, Bodiroga, Radja, Wilkins, Tarpley". 18 December 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Vassilis Spanoulis Position: SG, PG Height: 193 cm Weight: 96 kg". Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Nicknames "Kill Bill" "V-Span"". Interbasket.net. 8 July 1982. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "MVP: Most Vassilis Player". YouTube. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ "Reuters.com Spanoulis named Balkan athlete of the year". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ olympiacosbc.gr (12 October 2012). "The 2013 World Sporting Award Giuseppe Sciacca(Vatican) goes to Vassilis Spanoulis!". olympiacosbc.gr. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Eurobasket.com European Awards 2012 – Men Basketball". Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ "Euroleague.net, 2017-18 All-EuroLeague Second Team presented by 7DAYS". Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Euroleague official website, Final Four MVP: Vassilis Spanoulis, Panathinaikos". Euroleague.net. 3 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "profile". Euroleague.net. 7 August 1982. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Euroleague.net Spanoulis named bwin MVP of 2013 Final Four". Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Vladimir Stankovic's list: Top 10 clutch players". Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "The best of the decade according to Eurohoops readers BEST EUROLEAGUE PLAYER – VASSILIS SPANOULIS". 2 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ "FIBA.com profile". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Mεγάλη τιμή για Σπανούλη: Δίπλα στους Τζόρνταν και Μπράιαντ (pic) " (in Greek). 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Διαμαντίδης και Σπανούλης στην κορυφαία πεντάδα της 20ετιας των EuroBasket " (in Greek). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2021.