- Vasileios Spanoulis
Infobox Euroleague Player
caption = Spanoulis #6 in dark green.
name = Vasileios Spanoulis
Βασίλειος Σπανούλης
nickname =Kill Bill , V-Span
position =Point guard Shooting guard
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4
weight_lbs = 205
league = Greek LeagueEuroleague
team = Panathinaikos
number = 6
nationality = Greek
birth_date = birth date and age|1982|8|7
birth_place =Larissa ,Greece
draft = 2nd round, 50th overall
draft_year = 2004
draft_team =Dallas Mavericks
career_start = 1999
former_teams = Gymnastikos S. Larissa (1999–2001)
Maroussi (2001–2005)Houston Rockets (2006-2007)
awards = Greek LeagueMost Improved Player 2004Acropolis Tournament MVP 2007Vasileios [http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Vasilis "thinkbabynames.com": Vasilis - Name Meaning and Origin] – "Vasileios is a variant form of the Greek name Vasilis v(a)-si-lis. Others include Vasilij, Vassilij, Vasily, Vassily, Vaso, Vasos, Vasya, Wassily, and its anglicized form, Basil."] Spanoulis (in _el. Βασίλειος "Βασίλης" Σπανούλης) (born
August 7 1982 ) is a Greekprofessional basketball player. Though most of his career has been spent playing in the Greek League; he also had a brief stint with theHouston Rockets of the NBA. He is currently playing with the pro club Panathinaikos.Playing career
Youth years
Spanoulis began his youth basketball career with the AEL Larissa (Gymanstikos S. Larissa) Youth Team of
Larissa ,Greece , playing there from 1994 until 1998. In 1999, he signed a 2 year contract with the senior pro club Gymanstikos S. Larissa, which was in the Greek A2 League at the time.Professional years
Gymnastikos S. Larissa
His professional debut was with the Greek club Gymnastikos S. Larissa during the 1999-2000 season. In the two seasons of 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 he played in the Greek A2 League with Gymnastikos. [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/vassilis_spanoulis/bio.html NBA.com: Vassilis Spanoulis bio page.] ]
Maroussi BC Athens
After playing with Gymnastikos for 2 seasons, Spanoulis signed a 4 year €500,0000 euros net contract with Maroussi Athens of the
A1 Ethniki Greek League, EuroCup League, and later theULEB Cup League and played there until 2005.2001-2002 season
During the 2001-2002 season Spanoulis helped to lead Maroussi Athens to the finals game of the The Greek Basketball Cup. This was the first time that Maroussi had ever made it to the Greek Cup Championship game.
Maroussi BC also competed in theKorać Cup that year.2002-2003 season
During the 2002-2003 season Spanoulis led Maroussi to the Final Four of the European Champions League Cup (now known as the
FIBA Europe EuroCup). Spanoulis averaged 10.8 points per game and 6.4 assists per game off the bench for Maroussi. He also shot 40% from three-point range. He was named both the league 6th Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year.2003-2004 season
In the 2003-2004 season Vassilis led Maroussi Athens to the championship final of the Greek League
A1 Ethniki playoffs and also to theFIBA Europe EuroCup League title championship game. [ [http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/14979/180/item Panathinaikos brings back Spanoulis - On-Court - Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. ] ] He was namedA1 Ethniki Most Improved Player of the Year. Spanoulis was drafted in the 2nd round of the2004 NBA Draft by theDallas Mavericks following this sudden emergence. He also made theGreece national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games inAthens ,Greece .2004-2005 season
In the 2004-2005 season, his last with Maroussi Athens, Spanoulis averaged 15.9 points per game and shot 37.8% from 3 point range in 35 games of the Greek A League
A1 Ethniki competition. He then averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 40.0% from 3 point range in 12 games of play in theULEB Cup . For the year in total Spanoulis averaged 15.7 points per game and shot 38.3% from 3 point range in 47 games for Maroussi. He played in the 2005 Greek All-Star game and was named All-Greek League. This was a breakthrough year for Vasileios as he had averaged 11.1 points per game the previous year. He was considered to be one of the most improved players in Europe for the year. He led Maroussi to the 2nd place of the Greek Championship for the regular season. At the end of the year, Spanoulis was voted European 6th Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year for the ULEB Cup. [ [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.playerID_35533.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.teamID_291.html Eurobasket2007.org player profile info.] ] He started to be called "The GreekSteve Nash " by someFIBA Europe fans [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4274775.html ROCKETS NOTES: Spanoulis draws Nash comparison | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle. ] ] [ [http://mvn.com/nba-rockets/2007/07/04/lewis-signs-with-magic-spanoulis-whines-to-momma/ Rockets Blast | MVN - a Houston Rockets blog » Blog Archive » Lewis signs with Magic; Spanoulis whines to Momma. ] ] in Europe after this year.Panathinaikos BC Athens
Following his outstanding season in 2004-2005 with Maroussi, he signed a 3-year contract worth €3.6 million euros net with
Euroleague (highest basketball league in the world after the NBA) powerhouse Panathinaikos Athens. Spanoulis and his agent Miodrag Ražnatović [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4943775.html Spanoulis says he won't return to Rockets] Chron.com - Houston Chronicle.] set the contract terms so that Spanoulis would have a buyout clause after just one year and set the buyout amount at US $400,000, which was the maximum amount allowed for NBA teams to pay towards a European player contract at the time.2005-2006 season
With Panathinaikos in the 2005-2006 season he won the Greek
A1 Ethniki League Championship and the Greek Basketball Cup. His team went 24-2 during the regular season and 8-0 during the playoffs for an overall record of 32-2 in the league championship and also went undefeated in the Cup at 5-0 for an overall record of 37-2 in the Greek League. He played in the 2006 Greek All Star Game, and was named to the All Greek League Team. [ [http://clubs.phantis.com/sports/index.php?act=ST&f=109&t=8958 Phantis Sports Club Forums -> 2005-2006 awards. ] ]Spanoulis was also selected to the 2005-06 All-Euroleague Second Team [ [http://www.eurobasket.com/events/eluleb/05-06/eurol.asp EUROBASKET - Euroleague Men 2005-2006 Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Pro Basketball. ] ]
In 28.8 minutes per game of play during the Euroleague competition, Spanoulis averaged 14.6 points, 3.1 assists [Equivalent to 6.2 assists by NBA score keeping methods. NBA scouts keep track of the NBA score keeping assists totals for top European NBA prospects since the assists totals are tallied differently in the
Euroleague than in the NBA.)] , 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 23 games of Euroleague play with Panathinaikos Athens for the season. He also averaged 61.8% for 2-point shooting and 36.8% from 3-point range; 53.4% overall.He was the team's leading scorer even though he often came off the bench. He won the Euroleague MVP of the Week Award twice during the season. In 2005-06, his team finished the Euroleague with a record of 16-7. Spanoulis was also voted as the 7th best European Player of the Year (
FIBA Europe 2006 Player of the Year). [http://www.mysportsbook.com/betting_sports/Houston_Rockets/39.html Houston Rockets Sports Betting News MYSPORTSBOOK. ] ] [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060721/ai_n16670940 New owners insist Sonics will stay in Seattle | Deseret News (Salt Lake City) | Find Articles at BNET.com. ] ] [ [http://217.13.116.51/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=JUO&temporada=E05 Spanoulis, Vasilis. ] ] [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/awards/awards-2005-2006 EUROLEAGUE AWARDS 2005-2006.] , "euroleague.net"] [http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_rdCa0AljHPAjbl9YuZSHL2.coid_kl-Qub2wHLUH0UwthgNad1.articleMode_on.html Papaloukas Wins Close Vote to Become FIBA Europe Player of the Year.] , "Fibaeurope.com"]Many fans in Europe began calling him "European
Kobe Bryant " [ [http://sports.sina.com.cn/s/2006-08-10/0700942962s.shtml 火箭新控卫斯潘诺里斯：我是菜鸟 姚明是超级巨星] zh icon] [http://www.yaomingmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=274736&highlight= en icon] after such a dominant rookie season of Euroleague. [ [http://www.insidehoops.com/spanoulis-rockets-071906.shtml InsideHoops.com - Houston Rockets sign Vassilis Spanoulis - Rockets signed Vassilis Spanoulis. ] ] [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060721/ai_n16670940 New owners insist Sonics will stay in Seattle | Deseret News (Salt Lake City) | Find Articles at BNET.com. ] ]NBA Houston Rockets
On July 19, 2006, Spanoulis opted out of the final two years of his contract with Panathinaikos Athens and signed a three-year deal (2 years guaranteed) with the
Houston Rockets who paid for his contract buyout from Panathinaikos. The contract was worth $5,832,000 USD [ [http://hoopshype.com/salaries/houston.htm HoopsHype - NBA Salaries - Houston Rockets. ] ] , in addition to his $400,000 USD buyout.The contract amount was for an average of $1,944,000 USD per season, which was the same amount of money he had been making from his Panathinaikos contract. The Rockets had acquired the rights to Spanoulis on draft night (June 24, 2004), when Houston swapped draft pick #55
Luis Flores and cash considerations of $300,000 USD with theDallas Mavericks for Spanoulis (pick #50). [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2524851 Guard Vassilis Spanoulis signs with Rockets.] , July 20, 2006]“He’s a very versatile ball handler,” Rockets [then] general manager
Carroll Dawson said. “He’s a good finisher and a very good prospect. He wants to be a great player. Everybody is going to like this young man because he is a very hard-nosed player. We have watched his progress very closely,” Dawson said. “It’s a big adjustment to come to the NBA from Europe, but he is a hard worker.” [ [http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_sign_Greek_guard-185070-822.html ROCKETS: Rockets sign Greek guard. ] ] [ [http://www.fibaeurope.com/pageID_Nph2,z3tIjsbJW1e8oPZZ3.nfID_291.startAt_84.coid_PyDDHBi3JtwWiVTn5xlm82.articleMode_on.html Greece: Spanoulis Set For Take Off With Rockets.] , "Fiba.com"]Rockets [then] Director of Player Personnel Dennis Lindsey stated the following about Spanoulis prior to the team signing him. "We're very, very happy with his progress," said Lindsey. "He changed clubs this year from Maroussi to the bigger club this year, Panathinaikos. For those not familiar with European basketball, they are like the
New York Yankees of Greece and one of the two or three better organizations in Europe. They are an NBA level club. From our standpoint, we really like what Vassilis has done. He is their leading scorer. They are 9-1 in theEuroleague and they have already qualified for the top sixteen." [http://clutchfans.net/news/1262/rockets_lindsey_praises_spanoulis/ Rockets' Lindsey praises Spanoulis.] ]Lindsey praised Spanoulis' offensive ability. "He's got a couple of characteristics that we like," added Lindsey. "He can really drive and get the ball in the paint, and he's relentless with it. He kind of plays basketball like a fullback a little bit, where he just kind of breaks through the line and there's contact on a lot of plays."
"The owner and Jeff and Carroll really like what they've seen so far and we've made a couple of trips over and hopefully in the near future we can have him as a Rocket because we think he can help us."
2006-2007 NBA season
Spanoulis saw limited playing time with the
Houston Rockets during his rookie year in 2006-07, averaging 2.7 points and 0.9 assists in 8.8 minutes per game on 31.9% field goal shooting (17.2% from behind the 3-point line) in 31 games played off the bench. [ [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/vassilis_spanoulis/career_stats.html Spanoulis' NBA career stats.] ]During Spanoulis' first NBA season there was a dispute between him and Rockets head coach
Jeff Van Gundy over playing time. There was an issue between the team's management, Spanoulis, and the coach as well over the contract that Spanoulis had signed. In order to sign with the Rockets and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NBA, Spanoulis took a considerably smaller contract than the one that was being offered to him by his Greek team Panathinaikos Athens. He still had two years under his contract with Panathinaikos, but his buyout was small and could be paid by the Rockets.Spanoulis agreed to play for Houston at a price of $1,944,000 USD per season for 3 years, passing up on his former team Panathinaikos Athens' offer of $3,110,000 USD per season over 3 years, just for a chance of playing in the NBA. Spanoulis made the rotation [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4353239.html Spanoulis getting chance in Rockets' rotation.] ] , but eventually, there was a falling out between him and Rockets coach Van Gundy, after Van Gundy benched Spanoulis after he played poorly, citing that rookie players are dangerous for coaches that are in contract years and that Spanoulis was too turnover prone and lacking in outside shooting touch to be a good fit in Van Gundy's offensive system design. Said Van Gundy about the situation: "(Spanoulis) says, 'I was [Tracy McGrady| [Tracy] McGrady] back home.' Great. McGrady is McGrady here," .. "I feel badly for him. He feels he was misled. Frankly, he's been his own worst enemy in many ways. Some of it is excuses. His turnovers have been high; his fouls have been high; his shooting percentage has been low. I would rather anybody start out with self-evaluation — what can I do better? — versus lash out and blame. Because I'm not playing him now doesn't mean he won't play in the future or we don't feel he could be a good player. I think he's allowed his disappointment to go to discouragement, which has, at times, stunted his improvement. We'll see. We'll see." [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4490534.html Spanoulis struggles with lack of playing time.] ]
Spanoulis was traded by the Rockets to the
San Antonio Spurs on July 12, 2007 along with a 2009 second-round draft pick in exchange for centerJackie Butler and the rights to Argentinian power forwardLuis Scola . [http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/spanoulis_070712.html Spurs Acquire Vassilis Spanoulis.] , "NBA.com" - July 12, 2007] [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/wires/07/12/2030.ap.bkn.spurs.rockets.trade.0170/ Spurs acquire Spanoulis in trade with Rockets.] , July 12, 2007] On August 19, 2007 the Spurs released Spanoulis, giving him the chance to return back to Greece to play for the Panathinaikos Athens Greens as he had requested. This was officially announced on August 23, 2007. [ [http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/spanoulis_070823.html SPURS: Spurs Release Spanoulis. ] ]Allegedly due to "family reasons," Spanoulis decided that he would not remain in the NBA, with his agent going as far as comparing the Rockets reluctance to break his contract to slavery. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4944139.html Spanoulis insists his Rockets days over.] , July 5, 2007] Spanoulis instead opted to return to Panathinaikos in the Greek Basketball League.
Back to Panathinaikos
On August 19, 2007, Spanoulis was released by the
San Antonio Spurs after deciding he wanted to play in Greece during the 2007-2008 season. This was due to the fact that his mother was in poor health and Spanoulis wanted to be near her. [http://www.insports.gr/index.php?s=2&c=1&p=113&cat=7&arthro=11742&nav=%CE%9C%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%A3%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%A4:%20V-Span...%CE%B7%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%AE ΜΠΑΣΚΕΤ: V-Span...η επιστροφή.] gr icon] Spanoulis signed a 3-year contract withPanathinaikos BC [ [http://www.interbasket.net/news/52/2007/08/30/spanoulis-returns-to-panathinaikos/ Spanoulis returns to Panathinaikos.] ] then defending European champions. He was signed to play point guard and shooting guard allow with fellowGreece national basketball team starDimitris Diamantidis . Former NBA playerŠarūnas Jasikevičius would later join them in the team's guard rotation.The contract Spanoulis signed was for 3-years, at €5,500,000 net salary [ [http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_9441122?source=rss Spanoulis Panathinaikos sign a lucrative contract.] ] plus a $1,166,400 contract buyout from his NBA
San Antonio Spurs contract (Panathinaikos paid the buyout, so it did not count against the Spurs' salary cap). Spanoulis' agent set up the contract so that Spanoulis could opt out of it after one year. Spanoulis originally stated that after the first year of his contract he might opt out of it and return to San Antonio to play in the NBA again, provided the Spurs wanted him.2007-2008 season
During the 2007-08 season, Spanoulis led his team Panathinaikos in both points scored (661) and assists (215) over 56 league games (36 Greek League games and 20
Euroleague games). He averaged 11.8 points per game and 3.8 assists per game for the season in 56 games total. Spanoulis led the Greek League regular season in assists (125), averaging 4.8 per game in 26 regular season games. He was voted as a starter to the Greek League All-Star Game and to the All-Greek League First Team.Spanoulis helped Panathinaikos win the Greek basketball double, as the club won both the Greek Championship and the Greek Cup in 2008. In the Greek Cup final against Panathinaikos' arch-rival Olympiacos, Spanoulis led his team to the championship cup victory by scoring 20 points and dishing out 7 assists.
International career
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship :Spanoulis was a key member of the Greek national junior team at theFIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in the year 2000. Greece finished in third place in the tournament, winning the bronze medal. [ [http://www.eurobasket.com/events/ecu18/00/ecu18.asp Eurobasket.com 2000 Under-18 European Championship.] ]FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship :Spanoulis was on the Greek national junior team that finished in first place and thus won the gold medal at theFIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in the year 2002. During the European Under-20 championship final game, Spanoulis sank two clutch free throws with just 13 seconds remaining on the game clock to clinch a win over the Spanish national junior team and win the gold. [ [http://www.eurobasket.com/events/ecu20/02/ecu20.asp Eurobasket.com 2002 Under-20 European Championship.] ]Mediterranean Games
Spanoulis made his debut with Greece's senior national team, the Greek national basketball team at the
2001 Mediterranean Games . He was a key member of the team for Greece during the tournament. Greece finished in second place in the tournament, winning the silver medal.2004 Summer Olympics Basketball
Spanoulis made his debut with the Greek senior team's top unit (the unit that competes at major tournaments) for the first time in the summer of 2004 when he was selected by his then head coach at
Maroussi BC , Greek basketball legendPanagiotis Giannakis to be a member of the Greek squad during the 2004 Olympic Games Basketball Tournament which was held inAthens ,Greece . Spanoulis was able to play in front of his home country's fans at Helliniko Indoor Hall as Greece was the game's host country. Greece finished in 5th place in the tournament, losing toManu Ginobili and the Argentine national basketball team 69-64 in the medal round game. [ [http://www.eurobasket.com/events/ol/04/ol04.asp Eurobasket.com 2004 Olympics basketball results.] ] This was tied for the 2nd highest finish for Greece in basketball at the Olympics in its history. The 5th place finish, making Greece one of the top 5 teams in the world was the beginning of Greece's great run in international tournaments.Eurobasket
At the
Eurobasket 2005 , Spanoulis was a key member of the Greek team [ [http://eurobasket2005.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_SbGnUV12IgwUcAUu7UmfU1.pageID_MoI,BSrrH7o-tFECErFFF0.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2005.roundID_3769.teamID_291.html Eurobasket2005.com Greece national team roster.] ] that won the European Championship and took home the gold medal [ [http://eurobasket2005.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_SbGnUV12IgwUcAUu7UmfU1.teamID_291.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2005.roundID_3769.coid_6kJ2BA4GJTYSgbdn69Tdq2.articleMode_on.html Eurobasket2005.com Greece wins gold medal.] ] . It was just the second time in Greece's history that the national basketball team won the gold medal at the European Championships and the first time sinceEurobasket 1987 when the legendaryNikos Galis led Greece's national team.Two years later, at the
Eurobasket 2007 , Spanoulis was again part of Greece's team [ [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.teamID_291.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.html Eurobasket2007.org Greece team profile and roster.] ] . Greece played the tournament shorthanded as it was without key playersAntonis Fotsis andSofoklis Schortsanitis and was not able to medal in the tournament. Greece finished in 4th place in the tournament [ [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/default.asp Eurobasket2007.org final standings.] ] losing in the final four semi-final game against the Spanish national basketball team and its many star players likeMarc Gasol , Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Calderon,Sergio Rodriguez , Rudy Fernandez andPau Gasol . Spanoulis was the game's leading scorer with 24 points and he also dished out 5 assists, [ [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.pageID_MIo9t,r8GfgCzft4jY3M,2.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.teamID_291.gameID_5174-49-A-1.html Spain - Greece Eurobasket 2007 semi-final box score.] ] but Spain got the win by a score of 82-77 over the depleted Greek squad. Spanoulis led the Greek team in scoring during the tournament with a scoring average of 11.7 points per game. [ [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.pageID_EGajPKhiHO6wAXOCLq-EN2.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.teamID_291.html Greece / Accumulated Statistics.] , "Eurobasket2007.org"]tanković Cup
He was a part of Greece's team that won the
2006 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup . Greece beat both Australia and Germany, whose team includedNBA starDirk Nowitzki , to win the tournament. Spanoulis led Greece in scoring during the tournament.FIBA World Championship
Spanoulis was a member of the Greek team that competed at the
2006 FIBA World Championship [ [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/teamPlay/team/p/cp//eventid//langid//playernumber//roundid/3507/teamnumber/291/zone//fe_teamPlay_teamRost.html FIBA.com 2006 World Championship Greece roster.] ] and he helped to lead the Greek team to the silver medal as they finished in second place in the tournament. [ [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/index.asp FIBA.com 2006 World Championship final standings list.] ] In the final four semi-final game against Team USA he was the game's second leading scorer with 22 points and along with his teammateTheo Papaloukas led Greece to victory over theUSA by a score of 101-95. [ [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/scheResu/p/eventid/3507/gamename/A/groupname/75/langlc/en/roundid/5152/fe_scheStat_boxScor.html FIBA.com 2006 World Championship Greece - USA box score.] ] Spanoulis led the Greek national team in scoring during the world championship with an average of 11.7 points per game and he also led the Greek team in free throw shooting percentage at 87.8%. [ [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/teamPlay/play/p/eventid/3971/langlc/en/openNodeIDs/699/playernumber/35533/roundid/3507/season/0/selNodeID/699/teamnumber/291/fe_teamPlay_playStat.html Vasileios SPANOULIS - PLAYER STATS.] ]Acropolis of Athens Tournament
Spanoulis was named the
MVP of the 2007Acropolis Tournament inAthens and he has also won the same tournament 5 times with the Greek national team in the years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. [ [http://www.eurobasket.com/GRE/GRE.asp?NewsNo=14 EUROBASKET - Greek Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Pro Basketball. ] ]Personal information
* Fans have dubbed him V-Span and
Kill Bill . [http://www.interbasket.net/players/spanoulis.htm Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece ...player profiles by Interbasket. ] ]
* In Greek Vasileios Spanoulis' first name means "King" [ [http://www.20000-names.com/male_greek_names_03.htm 20000-NAMES.COM: Male Greek Names, Page 3 of 3-meaning, origin, etymology. ] ] and is Anglicized as Basil, which also means "valiant" in Arabic. [ [http://www.20000-names.com/male_b_names.htm#BASIL 20000-NAMES.COM: Male Names / B, Page 1 of 3. Meanings and Origins of male names beginning with the letter B. ] ]
* The first and only Greek born player to play for theHouston Rockets and only the 4th Greek born player to play in the NBA. [ [http://www.basketball-reference.com/bio/born_GR_iso.html Players Born in Greece - Basketball-Reference.com. ] ]
* He is best friends withNikos Zisis . He is also good friends withRoderick Blakney ,Jake Tsakalidis ,Shane Battier ,John Lucas III ,Tracy McGrady , [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5204852.html ROCKETS NOTES: Spanoulis just a memory | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle. ] ] andSteve Novak . [ [http://www.jsonline.com/blog/index.aspx?id=308&month=2&year=2007 JS Online:Todd Rosiak: Marquette Basketball. ] ]Professional career statistics
* Gymnastikos Larissa (1999-01)
* Maroussi Athens (2001-05)
* Panathinaikos Athens (2005-06, 2007-08)
*Houston Rockets (2006-07).(*Assists under
FIBA rules are counted much more stringently than underNBA rules. Generally, an NBA assist translates to a FIBA assist by about a 2:1 margin based on historical stats comparisons between the NBA and European basketball leagues. So for example, 5 FIBA assists would equal about 10 NBA assists.) [ [http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/International_Trail_Blazers-252219-1218.html Portland Trail Blazers official NBA website at NBA.com explains the difference between FIBA assists and NBA assists.] ]Greece
NBA Playoffs
FIBA international career statistics
Awards and accomplishments
Professional team championships:
Panathinaikos BC
* Won 2 Greek Championships with Panathinaikos 2006, 2008
* Won 2 Greek Cups with Panathinaikos 2006, 2008Professional individual awards and accomplishments:
*
Most Improved Player Greek League 2004
* 3-time Greek League All Star 2005, 2006, 2008
* 3-time All Greek League Team 2005, 2006, 2008
* Named to the All-Euroleague 2nd TeamEuroleague 2005-06
* Led the Greek League in assists Greek League 2007-08International team awards:
Greek National Team
* Won a bronze medal at the
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship 2000
* Won a silver medal at the2001 Mediterranean Games
* Won a gold medal at theFIBA Europe Under-20 Championship 2002
* Won 5 Acropolis of Athens Tournaments 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
* Won a gold medal at the 2005 European Championship
* Won the2006 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup
* Won a silver medal at the2006 FIBA World Championship International individual awards:
Greek National Team
* Acropolis of Athens Tournament Most Valuable Player 2007
Notes
External links
* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/vassilis_spanoulis/index.html NBA.com player profile]
* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/vassilis_spanoulis/bio.html NBA.com player biography]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?clubcode=pan&pcode=JUO Euroleague.net player profile]
* [http://www.paobc.gr/player.php?category_id=124&player_id=832&period_id=0 Panathinaikos BC player profile]
* [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/teamPlay/play/p/competitioncode//eventid/3507/langlc/en/playernumber/35533/roundid/3507/season/0/teamnumber/291/fe_teamPlay_playProf.html FIBA.com player profile]
* [http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/vassilisspanoulis.asp NBADraft.net player profile on Vassilis Spanoulis]
* [http://www.interbasket.net/players/spanoulis.htm Interbasket.net player profile]
* [http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Vassilis-Spanoulis-5209/ Draftexpress.com player profile]
* [http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1437 Draftexpress.com article on Vassilis Spanoulis]
* [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/inte/vide/inte/p/newsid/23227/inte.html FIBA.com Video Interview with Vasileios Spanoulis]
* [http://www.hoopsworld.com/global/article_20796.shtml 'HoopsWorld.com Global' story on Spanoulis (12/02/2007)]
* [http://www.hoopsworld.com/global/article_20583.shtml 'HoopsWorld.com Global' story on Spanoulis (28/01/2007)]
* [http://www.clutchfans.net/news/1350/spanoulis_rockets_agree_to_terms/ Clutchfans.net Spanoulis article]
* [http://www.sport24.gr/spanoulis.asp Vassilis Spanoulis blog at Sport24.gr] el icon
* [http://www.insidehoops.com/spanoulis-rockets-071906.shtml Insidehoops.com article on Vassilis Spanoulis]
* [http://217.13.116.51/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=JUO&temporada=E00 Spanoulis Euroleague stats]
* [http://www.insports.gr/index.php?s=2&c=1&p=113&cat=7&arthro=11742&nav=%CE%9C%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%A3%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%A4:%20V-Span...%CE%B7%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%AE Vassilis Spanoulis signs with Panathinaikos Athens BC]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/14979/180/item Panathinaikos brings back Spanoulis]
* [http://bbs.clutchfans.net/archive/index.php/t-82331.html Clutchfans.net Dimitris Ritsonis from Draftcity.com scouts Spanoulis and his 2004 Most Improved Player of Year Award]
* [http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.pageID_EGajPKhiHO6wAXOCLq-EN2.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.teamID_291.html Greece's accumulated statistics at Eurobasket 2007]
* [http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm/teamPlay/play/p/eventid/3971/langlc/en/openNodeIDs/699/playernumber/35533/roundid/3507/season/0/selNodeID/699/teamnumber/291/fe_teamPlay_playStat.htmll Greece's 2006 FIBA World Championship stats]
* [http://www.beobasket.co.yu/eng/igrac.jsp?id=288 Beobasket.co.yu Vassilis Spanoulis player profile]
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