Former NBA Forward Drops 45 Points in Insane EuroLeague Performance
The EuroLeague is loaded with talent with Olympiacos Piraeus guard Sasha Vezenkov being the latest star to emerge. Vezenkov is coming off a career-defining performance against FC Bayern Munich in EuroLeague Round 20, finishing with a monstrous 45 points.
Olympiacos led from start to finish against Bayern with Vezenkov having a historic night. The forward could not be stopped, as he finished the game with an incredible PIR of 52, which happens to be the best in program history.
His shooting percentages were nearly perfect, going 10-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 from long range. Vezenkov started the game missing his first shot, but he would go on connecting on nearly every shot he put up after that.
“It’s one of those nights where you feel good,” he added. “I started by missing my first shot and then I found the space and my teammates did a great job at everything, starting from defense. I don’t want to talk about me. I’ll keep working. It’s just a regular night.”
While Vezenkov single-handledly took on a large portion of the scoring for his team, he told reporters after the game the entire team stepped up.
“Everybody stepped up,” Vezenkov added. “We had two really important absences, Evan and Kostas. We dedicate the win to them. But as I said before, we have 15 players ready to play. [Recording] 36 assists is a really high number. This is our philosophy. We want to pass the ball – this is what Coach likes. Almost everybody is a great passer. We tried to share the ball. We didn’t play selfishly and we were capable of scoring 100 points.”
Vezenkov was filled with grace and humility when acknowledging his performance, simply thanking the fans for their unwavering support.
“I’d never dreamt to make history for this big club,” he told EuroLeague TV after the game. “I want to thank the fans. It’s really important for them. It’s 2025 – the 100-year [anniversary] of the club.”
The fans were on their feet with loud MVP chants, in which Vezenkov says he has another MVP in mind.
"If we were talking about the first half of the season, I'd go with TJ Shorts," Vezenkov told NOVA. "I saw that they [Paris Basketball] lost tonight, too. That's what I've said. He [MVP-caliber player] has to help his team win games. There are many good players, but you can't be MVP if the team isn't at the top."
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