“If it weren’t for the laurel-crowned youth, the symbol of Olympiacos, the Club’s face would have Georgios Printezis,” in the words of coach Giorgos Bartzokas.
His comment reflects, in the absolute sense, what Printezis means to Olympiacos; a player who expresses the team itself, who has identified with the club and has spent almost his entire basketball career with his great love.
He arrived in Piraeus as a baby-faced 15-year-old kid and retired married with children! “Retiring” is, in fact, a stretch, because Printezis never actually left his sports home. He remains a frequent spectator at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, and the prospect of his return to assuming another post with his beloved team is a distinct possibility.
Printezis’ legacy to Olympiacos and to Greek and European basketball, in general, is great and special. He left an indelible mark not only with the titles he won, but mainly with the way he approached the game. He was always focused on doing his best for his team, regardless of the challenges faced.
Τhe game-winning shot in the final against CSKA Moscow will forever connect Printezis and Olympiacos.
The reality
An islander, the son of a ship captain from Syros, he made his dream come true without ever altering his character, his principles and his values.
Printezis won everything in terms of titles, but, most importantly, amid an intense toxicity affecting the game at the time he managed to win universal recognition on court and from every opponent, with applause accompanying him every step of the way.
Printezis reminds of players from other eras, who started and ended their careers with the same team, but back then there were 12-year contracts, while in his case the it was a long-term relationship with his team, Olympiacos. At Malaga he spent a lackluster two years (2009-11) and paid out of his own pocket to return to Piraeus, while the only other time he was away from the Reds was when he played on loan with Olympia Larissa for a year (2006-2007).
“It’s a huge experience to be part of a team with such great players. I’ll also try to do justice to those who believed in me and brought me to Olympiacos,” he said in a hesitant voice one afternoon in 2000 at a press conference to present the team, sitting next to David Rivers, Nikos Boudouris, Dino Radja and Nikos Economou, among others.
He was part of a blue-chip crop of transfers that summer decided by Kokkalis, who earlier made the decision to replace Giannis Ioannidis with his assistant Ilias Zouros on Olympiacos’ bench.
Kokkalis was investing $10 million for players, while he had given the huge amount of 30 million drachmas to the smaller team Asteras Aghios Dimitrios to bring Giorgos Printezis to Olympiacos.
No one could have imagined at the time that a player who would be most connected to the team in terms of loyalty, commitment and love over the decades was being added to the team in 2000.
Having shown early signs of his great talent, he got plenty of playing tie under coach Jonas Kazlauskas during the 2004-05 season, another rebuilding year for the team, although the Lithuanian coach had placed a veto: “You won’t shoot like that again, it’s unorthodox, forget it,” he said, referring to Printezis’ hook-like jump shot. Apparently, the experienced coach had seen the …dream of what entail the greatest comeback of all time in Euroleague history, when Olympiacos came back from a deficit of 19 points against CSKA Moscow to be capped off by Printezis’ signature shot in the final’s last seconds – and following an excellent assist from his friend Vassilis Spanoulis.
Vice-Captain
The friendship of the two men, Printezis and Spanoulis, dates to their participation on the national team – in fact, they were on the last Greek side that won a medal at the Eurobasket 2009, with Kazlauskas as coach. They joined up at the club level in 2010 at Olympiacos.
In deference to the more veteran Spanoulis, Printezis let Spanoulis take over as the team’s captain, and the two forged an even stronger relationship, even at the family level.
The picture in the OAKA locker room after the 4th game of the final series against Panathinaikos in 2016, where Olympiacos won the championship 3-1 with a buzzer beater by Spanoulis in front of Diamantidis (as he had done in front of Calathes in the second game) was shocking. The Olympiacos players were celebrating and in one corner, Spanoulis and Printezis sat hugging each other and celebrating in their own special way before becoming one with the rest of the team.
Besides that glorious “half-hook” against CSKA, Printezis made another memorable shot, namely, a three-point buzzer beater against Barcelona in the playoff round, a shot that sent Olympiacos to the Final Four in Madrid in 2015.
With Olympiacos he won two Euroleagues, one Intercontinental, four Greek Championships and three Cups, with the most memorable trophy being the one in 2016. Shortly before the start of the exciting final series against Panathinaikos, his father Joseph passed away.
Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, as one would expect, gave him permission to be with his family, although Printezis replied: “Coach, I’ll play” and he played that night in the first final, with fans later chanting in the stands in awe over his loyalty to the Club.
At the award ceremony a few days later at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, when he lifted the trophy in the air, he looked tearfully up to the sky and made his dedication.
He may be the quietest and most modest player on the court, but at the celebrations he would pick up the microphone and display his singing talent, being an islander from his beloved Syros, where he now organizes an outstanding international basketball tournament every year.
Printezis enjoyed an excellent relationship with the Angelopoulos brothers, the owners of Olympiacos BC, which remained intact even when an audio tape was leaked purportedly having him say he wouldn’t continue playing if he was not paid.
He was the only player from Olympiacos that Panathinaikos coach Željko Obradović wanted from his biggest local rivals, but Printezis always stayed with his beloved team, with the biggest honor coming last September when his jersey was retired at a special event at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
Giorgos Printezis between the most significant women in his life: his mother, daughter and wife during a ceremony to “retire” his No. 15 jersey at the Peace & Friendship Stadium.
The Last Dream Night
“I feel very, very lucky, I feel like I’m watching my eulogy,” he said, laughing.
“I remember the first time I stepped on the court, August 3, 2000. My first preseason with Rivers, with Radja, with Tomic. I was sitting in a corner trying to realize where I was. People watch a two-hour show. I felt very, very strong emotions with these people. What stays with me is the love, more than the titles. For me, human relationships matter more than anything else. I wasn’t expecting this moment, no. I was going to school and celebrating because I was wearing the Olympiacos jersey.
“Thank you for the honor of coming here … Thank you Olympiacos for this night, which I never imagined in my wildest dreams. May we inspire every kid to never give up, to keep working. Kids grow up and change their principles, find it harder and give up. I feel like the highest-paid player of all time thanks to your love,” Printezis said that night, who a short time earlier had made a throw-in at the end of the friendly game against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in his honor.
It was another dream night, for a player out of the best dreams of the Olympiacos fans.
