O Sasha Vezenkov He was officially presented on Thursday afternoon to representatives of the press and deified by his friends Olympiakos who delivered their “gift” to SEF.
The Bulgarian star spoke about his decision to return to the “Red Whites”, his dreams and his adventure in the NBA.
Analytically:
“Thank you, presidents, for coming back. During the year I didn’t stop receiving messages from people. He was happy with my joy. I thank the people that the world doesn’t see, who are always here. The goal is always the top. I’m happy to be back, to play again with my teammates and with the new players. Let’s come together quickly and achieve our goals. The goal is the top.”
On his return to Olympiakos and his escape from the Raptors: “It definitely plays a role when you spend 5 years with a team. That contact helped me to have company because of the time difference and I could see how much they care about me. It played a role. This is my home, we are a family and that is what matters. I want to thank the Raptors because they understood my wishes, they want the player to be happy, and I thank the coach because in the short time we spoke he understood the situation and I wish him the best.”
On whether he thought about a second chance in the NBA: “I thought about it until the end if I want a second chance and if I can handle it mainly emotionally. The most important thing is to be happy and fight for titles. I want to show what I can do and this is the most correct decision based on my criteria. My motto is that not everything is for everyone. We don’t always fit everywhere and psychologically and athletically here is better for me.”
On becoming the highest-paid player in Olympiakos’ history and whether it fills him with responsibility: “Knowing that I’m competing and that the pressure from the media is something that I like. I know where I stand, I like the responsibility. I’m not going to change, I’m going to do what he did more consistently. I don’t care about money, I’ll always give 100% and the team’s objective is to win. The team’s objective is to always win. I’m not afraid of responsibility, there will be criticism.”
On the NBA: “It’s only when you’re in the same room with so much talent that you learn things. You compete and see the best. The mentality is the most important thing. The NBA is like a school, seeing and guarding such talented players. It’s something you have to experience. It’s behind us, we’re looking forward, we’ll be prepared.”
On whether he would be proud of this year’s version of himself, going back in time: “Yes, I’m proud of who I am as a person and where I’ve come in basketball. I miss the Euroleague, that’s why I’m here. But what I’ve experienced with the world, with the people, with the connections I’ve made is something I never expected. I’m grateful to everyone who helped me. I’ll keep working, I won’t forget where I started and we’ll all achieve our goals together.”
On his goals: “It’s not to win the MVP, but to win the EuroLeague. That’s on my mind. I’ll do everything on the floor and that’s all I have in mind. Let’s be healthy and have the whole future ahead of us.”
On his statement that he would return to SEF as an Olympiakos player and the love of the world: “The world is the best judge. The goal is for them to come and see us. We see the base of Olympiakos, people feed off it, they live intensely. I am excited, grateful, because having people calling your name on July 25 is good. People have expectations, there will be difficult nights. We will tell the truth. We must work hard, control as much as we can. We want people with us every night and the goal is not to lose at SEF.”
On whether he feels he left something in the middle: “I’m starting something new. Memories are always with us. I kept thinking about the Euroleague. We didn’t deserve it, the winner did, but we had to take it. I’m leaving that behind and the goal is the future. We’re celebrating our 5th anniversary, I’m thinking about next year. The goal is to win the trophy.”