George Printezis will be emotionally charged when he sees his jersey rising to the sky at SEF, while he emphasizes that he does not feel that he is missing anything, two years after his retirement from the court.
George Printezis is being honored, as tomorrow night (6/9), he will see his jersey rise to the sky at SEF. A condition that will put psychological pressure on him, or rather will charge him emotionally, as he admitted 24 hours earlier during statements he made at the gala organized for him and his friends by the Olympiacos BC.
In detail, the former forward stated that he finished his career fulfilled and does not feel that he is missing anything, two years after his retirement:
“When I first started, I did not expect something like this. I only felt great joy and honor that I was able to even have a training session with the team I loved since I was a child. As the years passed, as you grow older and are nurtured in a club, it starts to exist in your mind as a distant dream.
On the sporting side, the end was then. A season and a cycle that ended beautifully. Tomorrow will be a very beautiful gesture that the BC and the presidents are doing, whom I thank very much.
I am not well prepared. Or rather, I have prepared, but I cannot manage it. Not just the emotional burden. Although it is a moment that people see and say ‘how lucky you are,’ and I am indeed lucky, because I am a bit more emotional, it will be a moment that I will handle with difficulty. Tomorrow, the day after that, I might watch some videos and it might make me even happier, and I will truly enjoy it then. Because at that moment, I do not know if I will enjoy it.
The faces are what make situations, the daily interactions, the successes, the beautiful, but also the ugly moments. All of these together can compose a very beautiful puzzle for Olympiacos, and that is what I hold onto. Above all, human relationships are what count. Every time we meet, it’s like everything goes on automatic. Human relationships, love, and respect remain.
I cannot say that I miss anything. A cycle ended very beautifully after many years. Very many painful, difficult days, with successes, with defeats. I believe I left fulfilled and from the love of the people as well as in terms of results, but also in terms of time. I hope I did not tire my teammates or anyone.
It is very beautiful to hear the chant “George, soul of Olympiacos.” There is a bond with the Olympiacos fans. I never tried to pretend or show more emotions than I felt, although what I felt may have been more than what I showed.
We have gone through a lot with Spanoulis. I said it last year, at his own celebration, when I was asked if I could isolate one moment. If you isolate one moment, it is like doing injustice to the thousands of others you have lived. That is a reality. How many nights in hotels, in locker rooms, in victories, in defeats, after great successes. There are so many emotions that competitive sports and athletics offer you that many times cannot be translated into words. I say that Billy is my basketball brother and brother because many relationships within work are built differently from those outside the court.
Surely, I will forget many of my teammates from Olympiacos if I make a list to record them. I don’t know if it’s due to age. There were also years when many players changed both in Korydallos and after. I might remember about 90%.”