Vassilis Spanoulis, the head coach of Monaco, was a guest on the latest episode of the “X&O’s Chat” podcast, where he spoke about Dusan Duda Ivkovic.
In 2012, Olympiacos won the EuroLeague after a stunning comeback against CSKA Moscow, overcoming a nearly improbable 19-point deficit to claim victory with a final score of 62:61. Georgios Printezis emerged as the hero of the game. Amid the chaos and celebrations, Dusan Duda Ivkovic remained composed, casually adjusting his tie. Reflecting on the legendary Serbian coach and their relationship, Spanoulis shared:
“That’s Duda (laughs). Duda could yell at you and do whatever he wanted, but when success came, he was always calm and relaxed. Everyone was emotional in those moments, but he acted like nothing had happened,” said the Greek coach, before recalling an anecdote related to the famous “Starbucks” brand:
“Great Duda. We pulled off a historic comeback and won the trophy in an unbelievable way. A mentor, an incredible coach, one of the best. A great person. We had an amazing relationship even after my playing career ended.
We drank a lot of coffee and always talked about basketball. We always went to Starbucks—I’d go get the coffee and bring it to us. We constantly discussed basketball, and I remember some incredible conversations. He was an impressive coach, and I’m grateful to have worked with him.”
Toni Kukoc and Vassilis Spanoulis are the only players in European basketball history to have won three EuroLeague titles while being named Final Four MVP each time.
“I think I became MVP three times because it was never my primary goal. I went to the Final Four to win the title, and if the MVP award came along, great… Many players enter the Final Four wanting to be MVP, but that’s never how you win a championship. For me, the most important thing was always to win the trophy.”
Would he be happy scoring just two points if it meant winning the EuroLeague title?
“Yes, absolutely, because I’m a good leader. Good leaders are winners. Good leaders make their teammates better. I lost a lot of possessions just trying to get someone involved who didn’t seem happy on the court. It’s important to care about your teammates and to have a positive spirit. Sometimes, you won’t play well, and you’ll be frustrated, but what matters is always being honest and putting the team’s success first.”
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