Luca CHIABOTTIWe were not returned the Oscar awarded to Dirk Nowitzki last year, as the main prize went to the German again. However, doubts remain. Or maybe the best is Theo? Theodoros does not play in the NBA, but stands for CSKA Moscow. He was a key player in the Greek national team at the European Championship victory for her in 2005, he won with the army team in the Euroleague 2006, becoming the best player in the Final Four. He won the silver of the World Cup with Greece. Of course, American basketball and Nowitzki's talent are amazing. And there are no more prizes.
We find Theodoros Papaloukas in one of the Italian hotels. The story of our thirty-year-old hero from Athens began with the fact that he was a ten-year-old boy who witnessed the triumph of the Greek national team Galis, and 20 meters from his house there was a basketball court where you could chase the ball with your brother. Admittedly, the whole career of Papaloukas moved in small steps, from teams of small to European grandees, but always growing, even at the age when many stop progressing. With a growth of two meters, he is not distinguished by outstanding physical data, great talent or an incredible throw. But when the decisive moment comes and you need to win, you will not find a smarter and more team player on the site.
Theo has been playing in Moscow since 2002. A dog lives with him, and he is a completely disorderly type, living only with basketball. He does not recognize orders, but always wants to figure it out, interacting with the coach, wants to always be the most necessary. In addition, he found a soul mate, David Vanterpool, at the Army Club. In it, Papaloukas met a completely loyal competitor playing with him in the same position as a playmaker. Today they can spend hours talking about basketball and how to win again and again, together.
- You are the best player among our nominees remaining in Europe.“I don’t think so, and I don’t really like ceremonies.” I like it more when they consider me a sly, clever girl.
- In your opinion, what else needs to be done, besides what has already been done in order to become number one?- Starting from the European Championship 2005 and ending with the 2006 World Cup, the year went great. It was very lucky that I ended up in the strongest team in Europe at the right time. It was doubly lucky that this happened to me at the age of 29, and not at 20. I am very well and objectively aware of what I achieved. I try to be balanced. If a person has won a lot in life, it’s not money that makes him crazy. Money, if you receive it at a fairly early age, bring nothing but stupid things.
- And if you also won the World Cup, then ...- I still do not find for myself the reasons for our defeat in the final. For unknown reasons, we did not go throw. When you come so close to gold, even silver causes bitterness of disappointment. But this is happening. You can’t think that you will only win, even if you need it, like air. Now again I want to win the Euroleague, with CSKA, in my homeland in Athens.
- You became famous thanks to your falling into decisive moments.- I don’t know if this quality is innate, but there are times when I suddenly realize that it is I who must do something to win. It's true.
- Every year, the best players from Europe leave for the NBA. Aren't you afraid to stay here one fine moment, in a dying European basketball?- The NBA has a completely different basketball. Here you need to win every match, there - only in the playoffs. The first issue of last year’s draft, the Italian Bargnani plays in an unusual team, very European, but you can recall Yasikyavichyusa or Spanulisa, European stars who do not rise from the bench ... Europeans have repeatedly demonstrated that they can compete on equal terms with the Americans. For me, playing basketball means being in the midst of events. I’m not sure that the NBA will be able to give me more money, fame and respect than I have here. And I will never agree with the opinion that the level of our basketball is declining. In Europe, new talents are born all the time.
- Can Italy compete with Greece and Spain in Europe with Bargnani, Belinelli and Gallinari?- Yes, I follow these players. Very strong guys. But who said that a team made up of talent alone becomes immediately stronger than everyone else? Greece, in the end, began to win not because it was a group of good basketball players, but because all our guys were team players, defenders, altruists. And we do not have in the composition of Nowitzki, who must always give the ball. One must always see a common goal, which will always be much higher than individual aspirations and which helps to win, no matter what. For myself always, in CSKA including, I set the task of making partners happy. Judging by the performances in the Euroleague, Italian teams are very dominated by the fact that the national championship has slightly reduced its level and this may have more serious consequences.
- Your current coach, Messina, Italian.- This circumstance is one of the reasons why I now play in CSKA. I work in the club, the most organized in Europe, where I have the good fortune to collaborate with the best coaches. With Ivkovic, I managed to rise to the highest club level, Messina continued to increase the level of my skill and, above all, the vision and understanding of basketball. I am blessed. There are a lot of players around me, much more gifted, but not achieving the same. I am in heaven.
Translation by George BYCHKOV