A kid counting buckets …
It was March 31, 2004 when a very young Giorgos Printezis was called on the floor of the Korydallos gym, for only a few seconds against the Cibona of Croatia. It wasn't his first game in the 'reds' jersey for the Euroleague, but it is the game he's always going to remember. In the 15 seconds he got to play, he scored his first basket in the top club competition; however, it would have never crossed his mind that 17 years later, he would be making history wearing the same red jersey.
The forward from Syros, with 45 on the back of his jersey, saw his childhood dream materialize getting introduced to basketball fans wearing the laurelled teen on his chest. No one would imagine that this kid would become one of the greatest basketball players of the Euroleague and one of the greatest athletes in the history of Olympiacos.
On March 5, 2021, in the game against Crvena Zvezda, "Print" became the player with the most 2-pointers made in the history of the competition. With the basket he scored at 10'40'' in the game, he reached 1138 2-pointers made, surpassing Ante Tomic and conquering another summit in his huge career.
OLYMPIACOSBC.GR commemorates the five most significant of these Euroleague 2-pointers, thus wishing to pay tribute to the co-captain's feat.
31/3/2004 – The first one
Olympiacos' season hadn't been the best possible and despite the 'reds' having qualified for the TOP-16, they did not go any further. Printezis played in the game against Cibona at the Korydallos gym, where the Piraeus team lost 70-68. In the mere 15'' seconds he got to play, he succeeded in scoring his first European bucket.
13/5/2012 – The Shot
The biggest bucket of his life and one of the most significant ones in the history of Olympiacos. The 'petachtari' (i.e. the Greek characterization of 'Print's' signature jump-shot move) of our life. In the final against CSKA Moscow of the Istanbul Final Four, 'Print' gave the 'reds' the trophy with the historical buzzer-beater and wrote his name with golden letters in the history of the 'reds' and that of European basketball.
21/4/2015 – Number 500
Olympiacos had won in Barcelona's court in the road to the Madrid Final Four and they had the win the Catalans twice at the SEF in order to once again qualify for the tournament of the best of the best. Both games had anxiety hitting the rooftops. In the third quarter-final and specifically in the beginning of the second half (21'21''), Giorgos Printezis scored his 500th 2-pointer for the Euroleague, once again following a pass by Vassilis Spanoulis. The 'reds' won that game 73-71 and two days later, the 'reds' got to celebrate a golden qualification with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by 'Print'.
19/11/2019 – Number 1000
In Munich against Bayern, Printezis scored the number 1000 2-pointer of his Euroleague career. Olympiacos lost to the Germans 85-82. The 'reds' co-captain had reached that milestone at 18'09'' of the game, with his signature 'petachtari' making the score 39-42.
5/3/2021 – The top
Out of a difficult season, Giorgos Printezis will always have the game against Crvena Zvezda to remember. At 10'40'' in the game, the 36 year old forward made the score 32-21 against the team from Serbia and climbed at the top spot of the players with the most 2-pointers made in the history of the competition, leaving Ante Tomic behind him.
