Luca Vildoza discusses comeback to OAKA, ‘crazy’ Fournier gesture to PAO fans
For Luca Vildoza, the feeling of coming back to play in the renovated OAKA arena and its brand-new LED floor was special, as the Argentinian guard readily admitted.
“I was playing against the fans that were cheering for me last year,” Vildoza told reporters following Olympiacos Piraeus’ 94-89 win over main rivals Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for EuroLeague Round 8 on Friday night.
“It was special at the beginning, but at the end, it was 5 vs. 5 on the court and we had to win,” he added, before specifying that the glass floor at OAKA seemed “kind of weird at the beginning.
“It felt a bit more bouncy. With the lights around, it’s a little bit weird. But it’s super nice. The embedment they did here is super nice. The way they changed the court is just beautiful,” he praised the hosts.
Vildoza, 29, had started in only 5 of his 28 appearances with PAO last season. The OAKA derby marked the second time he found himself in the Reds’ starting lineup in a EuroLeague contest. That’s a significant shift from his days at Baskonia and Crvena Zvezda, where he recorded 42 starts in a total of 61 games across two seasons (2020-21 and 2022-23).
At OAKA, he found out he was starting only “after warmup,” as he confided.
“I can’t remember the last time I started a game,” he admitted. “It was a good feeling, but I’m ready for everything, trying to help the team win.”
Vildoza put up 8 points on 3/8 from the field, along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 10. It was arguably one of his best performances in the red-and-white jersey, as he contributed in different aspects of the game.
It took an overall great offensive game for Olympiacos to take down the hosts, just a few days the two teams had locked horns in the Greek league as the Greens got away with a valuable win that puts them in the pole position for first place in the standings.
However, the EuroLeague derby turned out in a completely different way. Olympiacos were up 11-1 after the first 4 minutes and 41-33 at halftime. Panathinaikos clawed their way back in the 3rd quarter, when they made 14 of their 16 field-goal attempts and didn’t miss a single 2PT shot.
When the Greens took the lead 83-82 with almost 3 minutes left on the gameclock, it was Evan Fournier’s turn to take matters into his own hands. The Frenchman sank several big shots down the stretch, and Olympiacos managed to come out with their 7th straight EuroLeague win over Panathinaikos — and their 5th consecutive road win over the 7-time continental champs.
I think we played really well,” Vildoza commented.
“We slowed down the rhythm and that affected them. Their game is more about pick-and-roll and running the court. We tried to stop that and managed to control the game. Even if they went up on the scoreboard for one possession, we were up for the entire 40 minutes,” the Argentine remarked.
Vildoza didn’t play a single minute in the 4th quarter, when the outing was decided. But even while sitting on the bench, he witnessed the moment when Fournier hit a long-distance jumper to make it 85-87 and then turned to the home fans banging on his chest in celebration.
“It was crazy,” Vildoza bowed to his teammate’s skills, gesture and poise.
“It wasn’t easy to score that. And then, he turned to the fans and I was like, ‘You’re crazy to just turn around against 20,000 Panathinaikos fans.’ I thought that was crazy,” he repeated.
“But it shows the type of character he has and I’m really proud of him choosing Olympiacos.”
Nevertheless, after having played last season with Panathinaikos and won both the EuroLeague and the Greek league with the Greens, Vildoza wouldn’t be inclined or tempted to do a similar gesture had he hit a crucial shot at OAKA like Fournier did.
“Not really,” he replied.
“I think I’m a grown-up and I respect the people here. So, I don’t think I would do it.”
Switching directly from Athens to Piraeus or vice-versa is a venture reserved for only a handful of players. It’s a move that die-hard fans can hardly fathom or comprehend. But Vildoza is perfectly aware of the difference between his professional and his private life.
“It’s super nice,” he decribed the feeling of coming back.
“I know everybody. I have a good relationship with them. Even if I’m not here, we’re still in touch. It’s just a weird feeling. I was here, now I’m on the other side,” he reflected.
“People think I can’t have a relationship with Panathinaikos’ players, but — to be honest– I don’t really care. I’m good with everyone. What I do on the court is different.”Play
Against his ex-team, Panathinaikos point guard Kostas Sloukas had a solid performance which resulted in 12 points, 7 assists and 3 turnovers. However, the captain of the reigning champs didn’t shine at crunch time this time around.
“I know him,” Vldoza said of his former teammate.
“I played against him in the entire season last year, and I’ve been playing against him since I was 21. I’m already 29 and I know the way he plays,” he stressed.
“At the end, he’s a super-nice player. Sometimes, you can’t control that. He’s a winner and I respect it so much. He made me win the EuroLeague,” he conceded talking about last year’s Final Four MVP.
“Now, playing against him, he’s one more rival.”
Looking at the big picture, Olympiacos are currently standing at 5-3 after 8 rounds. What’s more, the Reds seem to have overcome their initial slump that had brought them down to 2-3, following 3 road losses in as many games. As fate would have it, they were the first team to hand PAO their maiden home defeat in the 2024-25 campaign.
“It’s a big win, especially because we beat Panathinaikos, Real Madrid and Barcelona,” Vildoza summed up his team’s winning streak and agreed that one could look at the win at OAKA as a statement from Olympiacos’ side.
“It was a tough 10 days, but it’s still just the beginning of the EuroLeague,” he pointed out.
“We’re proud of ourselves because we did a good job. But still, the EuroLeague continues and this is just one win.”Support BasketNews so we could make even better c
