Sasha Vezenkov talks NBA regrets, reveals a call from Nikola Jokic, and his basketball idols
Sasha Vezenkov was a guest in a podcast “Man to Man” in which he talked about many topics: NBA experience, regrets, Olympiacos dreams, and much more. Sasha Vezenkov was a guest on a Man to Man podcast, in which he talked about his NBA experience, Nikola Jokic, his idols, and much more.
Vezenkov shared his early NBA Draft experience, something every player remembers forever. Luck also plays a role in this; some players find the right organization for themselves, while others struggle.
“During my first year [in Barcelona], when I wasn’t playing well, my agent told me to enter the NBA Draft,” Vezenkov revealed. “I thought, ‘How can I play there if I’m not performing in Europe?'”
“Jokic called me – this was back in 2016, way before he became a three-time MVP. Back then, he wasn’t a superstar. He told me the Nuggets wanted me. Even coach Malone called. But I hesitated. I was an insecure 20-year-old. After playing in Europe, they lost interest. Sometimes I wonder what could have been,” Vezenkov added.
Vezenkov also talked about how emotional he was when he decided to go to the NBA and the feedback he got from his friends.
“I felt I owed it to myself,” Vezenkov argued his decision to move to the NBA. “When I think about it now, it’s emotional. I’ll never forget it. I was traveling from Greece to Bulgaria right after announcing my decision, crying the whole way.”
“The flight attendant must’ve thought, ‘What’s up with this guy?’ I was reading messages from friends and acquaintances. There was so much love, but I knew I owed it to myself,” he added.
Vezenkov wasn’t always a star, although, from day one, everyone expected a lot from him. The NBA experience didn’t go as planned from the beginning, and Vezenkov talked about what it feels like to be a rookie in the NBA and the difficulties players face.”I faced challenges at Aris, Barcelona, and Olympiacos. I always had to prove myself at every level,” Vezenkov revealed. “Doubts were constant. Having to prove yourself again and again can get exhausting.”
“In the NBA, the mentality is different. No matter how good you are in your first year, you’re just a rookie. What I missed the most was feeling important to my team – playing and contributing meaningfully,” he noted.
Every player has a player or a few of them who inspired him, someone who you started playing basketball because of. For Vezenkov, there are a couple.
“Dirk Nowitzki and then the trio of Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Papaloukas,” he confirmed.
Facing NBA stars, the Bulgarian had his experience and names a difference between them:
“Steph Curry is incredible, but he feels more relatable. LeBron, though, is LeBron,” Vezenkov shared his views. “His presence is on another level. As for Doncic, he plays like he’s mocking the game – he scores 40 points, and you don’t even notice where they came from.”
Olympiacos is currently third in the EuroLeague with a 7-3 score. The ambition from the last few EuroLeague seasons remains the same.
“The EuroLeague is always on my mind,” Vezenkov admitted. “It’s something I’d love to achieve. We’ve come close twice, especially once when we were so close. But we don’t live in the past. We only look forward. If it’s meant to happen, it will.”
“It’s not an obsession, but it’s a dream. I want to fight for titles with Olympiacos,” Vezenkov concluded.
