In a season of many firsts, one of the things that stayed the course in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the name atop the assists chart. For the fourth consecutive season, no EuroLeague player has set up his teammates more often than Nick Calathes.

The FC Barcelona point guard, who has had a meteoric rise up the all-time assists rankings since returning to the competition in 2015, dished 266 assists in his 41 appearances during the just-finished campaign. Calathes ended the season just ahead of Zenit St Petersburg's Kevin Pangos who had 260 assists for the season. 

graphic by Darius Garuolis

Calathes also became only the second man in competition history to reach 1,500 assists for his career. He achieved that milestone in Game 1 of the EuroLeague Playoffs, in a clash against Zenit and Pangos. The only player with 1,500 career assists before Calathes had been Vassilis Spanoulis, who reached that number in the 2019-20 season.

The Barcelona playmaker achieved that milestone at a much younger age and with significantly fewer games than his former teammate Spanoulis did. Calathes needed 246 EuroLeague games to reach 1,500, compared to the 320 games Spanoulis played before reaching the same number. Calathes was 32 years and 73 days old on the night of his 1,500th assist, more than 5 years younger than Spanoulis when he hit that number.

Calathes wasn't the only EuroLeague star to record a significant assist milestone this season. In Round 15, three-time champion Kostas Sloukas delivered the 1,000th assist of his career, becoming the eighth player to ever do so.

Looking ahead, Sergio Rodriguez is only 91 assists shy of reaching 1,500 for his career. Considering that he has dished at least 100 assists in each of his last eight EuroLeague seasons, Seeing Rodriguez cross that threshold seems like a reasonable bet. No active player is within 200 of the 1,000-assist milestone. 

Calathes's rise up the all-time assists chart is a result of the past four years, which saw Calathes produce four of the top five single-season assist totals. His 266 helpers this season are only behind the record-setting 286 he dished during the 2018-19 campaign. Calathes also has the fourth and fifth-best seasons with 255 and 249 assists, in 2019-20 and 2017-18, respectively.

That run led to Calathes finishing this past season with 1,526 career assists to his name and significantly closing the gap behind Spanoulis, who leads the all-time charts with 1,607 assists. Spanoulis took over the all-time lead during the 2017-18 season and has carried a substantial lead ever since. But Calathes has now come within 81 assists of the record.

If Calathes can maintain his current pace, we could easily be witnessing him not only surpassing Spanoulis for the all-time lead next season, but becoming the first player to reach 2,000 assists sometime during the 2022-23 campaign. 

Last season FC Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes became only the second player to reach 1,500 career assists and did so at a younger age and with significantly fewer games than all-time leader Vassilis Spanoulis did before him.

Milestones: Calathes entered an exclusive club

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv signed one of the premier shooters in basketball on Sunday when it penned James Nunally to a one-year deal with an option for a second season. Nunnally (2.01 meters, 30 years old) has made 48.5% of his three-point shots in four EuroLeague seasons, which is the best shooting percentage ever for a player with at least 75 triples. Maccabi will be his third EuroLeague stop after three seasons with Fenerbahce Istanbul, with which he won the championship in 2017, and one with AX Armani Exchange Milan.



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/HMArO6AQRf">https://t.co/HMArO6AQRf</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1409031120298074113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Maccabi will be Nunnally's second stop in Israel; he played for Maccabi Ashdod during the 2014-15 season. He has also played for Estudiantes Madrid in Spain; Avellino and Milan in Italy; Kavala in Greece; Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Houston and New Orleans in the NBA; Bakersfield and Frisco in the G-League; and Shanghai in China. In addition to winning the EuroLeague, he also won two Turkish championships and one Turkish Cup with Fenerbahce

"I'm extremely excited to be headed back to Israel, especially to an organization with a tradition like Maccabi Tel Aviv," Nunnally said. "To the fans: I can’t wait to meet you all. Yalla Maccabi!"

Maccabi signs former champ Nunnally

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Panathinaikos OPAP Athens has named Dimitris Priftis, most recently a 7DAYS EuroCup finalist, as the team's new head coach for the next three seasons. Priftis, 52, arrives from UNICS Kazan, where he sat at the head of the bench for the last four seasons. He helped the Russian powerhouse reach the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals and the VTB United League Finals last season. Priftis also guided the team to the EuroCup Semifinals in 2017-18 and took UNICS to the VTB semifinals twice more. Priftis, who made his EuroCup debut with Aris Thessaloniki in 2015-16, has a 52-28 record in the competition on the UNICS bench during his four seasons and is set to make his EuroLeague coaching debut with Panathinaikos, a team he briefly worked for as an assistant coach in 2014. He has previously coached Ikaros Kallitheas, AEK Athens and Enosi Kalathosfairisis Kavalas in his native Greece. Priftis has also worked for Dafni, Ionikos and AEK. He has also been with the Greek national team as an assistant coach for 11 of the last 13 years.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">Η ΚΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός ΟΠΑΠ ανακοινώνει την έναρξη της συνεργασίας της με τον Δημήτρη Πρίφτη για τα επόμενα τρία χρόνια.✍☘<br><br>Διάβασε την ανακοίνωση εδώ: <a href="https://t.co/myQclWSMZL">https://t.co/myQclWSMZL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panathinaikosbcopap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#panathinaikosbcopap</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnitedWeStand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnitedWeStand</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panathinaikos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#panathinaikos</a> <a href="https://t.co/lkdunaYyEC">pic.twitter.com/lkdunaYyEC</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1408739254889594883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Panathinaikos hands reins to Priftis

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One of the signature Turkish Airlines EuroLeague superstars of the 21st century, three-time champion and All-Decade playmaker Vassilis "Billy" Spanoulis, announced on Saturday afternoon that he is retiring from the sport and the club, Olympiacos Piraeus, that he raised to new heights in a 21-year professional career highlighted by lifting the continental trophy in 2012 and 2013. Spanoulis, who will turn 39 in August, is the only player in the 33-year history of the Final Four to win the EuroLeague title three times and be voted Final Four MVP each time.

"Basketball gave me a unique journey full of intense moments and great emotions. It gave me everything and I gave it everything," Spanoulis said in announcing his decision on Instagram. "Olympiacos proved to be my destiny and my most beautiful port. I leave proud of what was greatly accomplished, but also of what was lost after a hard battle. Above all, I leave full, because I played longer than I dreamed.

"From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who has been by my side all these years: the presidents, the coaches, the teammates, the co-workers and the opponents. But above all I want to thank all the fans for their love. It was this love that gave me the strength to try harder every day and this love will be my guide forever.

"THANK YOU ALL FROM MY HEART. VASILIS SPANOULIS, A CHILD WHO DREAMED OF PLAYING BASKETBALL…"

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">ΔΗΛΩΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΩΝ: &quot;Βασίλη σε ευχαριστούμε&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiaco?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiaco</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a><a href="https://t.co/t4KWYEQ1wW">https://t.co/t4KWYEQ1wW</a> <a href="https://t.co/sdIfRoFDaU">pic.twitter.com/sdIfRoFDaU</a></p>&mdash; Olympiacos B.C. (@olympiacosbc) <a href="https://twitter.com/olympiacosbc/status/1408811402953998336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

Spanoulis leaves a huge list of accomplishments in his exit from the EuroLeague stage, including his status as the competition's career leader in six statistical categories. He is the all-time EuroLeague scoring leader with 4,445 points, with an average of 12.4 points over 15 seasons. He is also ranked first all-time in performance index rating (4,182), assists (1,607), field goals made (1,403), free throws made (1,131) and fouls drawn (1,583).

Spanoulis currently sits second, as well, in games played (358) and three-pointers made (518); sixth in steals (273); and ninth in two-pointers made (885).

Simply put, as the all-time leader in points, field goals made and free throws made, no EuroLeague player in the last two decades put the ball through the basket more than Spanoulis - even as he dished more assists than anyone else! 

Even more than for his numbers, however, Spanoulis will be remembered for posterity as one of the great clutch performers in basketball history.

He won his first EuroLeague title with Panathinaikos Athens in 2009 and was voted the Final Four MVP after averaging 15.5 points while making 5 of 7 three-pointers that weekend.

In his second season after switching to Olympiacos, Spanoulis's inspired last-second assist to long-time teammate Georgios Printezis to complete a 11-minute, 19-point comeback and beat favored CSKA Moscow in 2012 marked the only time that a major international basketball club title has been won on the season's very last shot.

A year later, he turned around the 2013 championship game by scoring all of his 22 points after halftime as Olympiacos erased a 17-point deficit against Real Madrid to become just the second repeat EuroLeague champion in two decades. Spanoulis was awarded his only full-season EuroLeague MVP honor that same weekend.

Spanoulis led Olympiacos into the championship game twice more, in 2015 and 2017, but finished as runner-up despite more heroics in the semifinals. His seven consecutive victories to start his Final Four is a record, as well.

One of the signature Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars of the 21st century, Vassilis "Billy" Spanoulis, announced on Saturday afternoon that he is retiring from the sport of basketball.

Legend, icon, EuroLeague scoring king Vassilis Spanoulis retires

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Zenit St Petersburg announced on Friday that it has signed swingman Dmitry Kulagin for the coming season. Kulagin (1.98 meters, 28 years old) was an All-EuroCup selection in 2017-18 in the second of his three seasons with Lokomotiv Kuban He averaged 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 17 games that season. A product of the CKSA Moscow youth system, Kulagin played for Zenit in 2014-15 and took a big step forward in his game. He returned to CSKA for the next two years and helped the team win the EuroLeague in 2016. Kulagin has also played for Nizhny Novgorod, Triumph Lyubertsy and Krasnie Krilya during his career.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">⚡️Please, welcome! Dmitry Kulagin is a new player of Our Club.<a href="https://t.co/cGrIdPbPBL">https://t.co/cGrIdPbPBL</a> <a href="https://t.co/wF6qDVoIJe">pic.twitter.com/wF6qDVoIJe</a></p>&mdash; Basketball club Zenit (@zenitbasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/zenitbasket/status/1408373459449696261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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"I am very happy to return to St. Petersburg with high goals, a friendly team, a beautiful city and, of course, bright and active fans,” Kulagin said. "There is a lot of work ahead, a long and interesting season. Thanks to the coach and club management for the invitation. I look forward to the start of the season!”

Zenit signs former champ Kulagin

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In its first roster move of the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced on Monday the return of big man Jalen Reynolds, who had previously played half a season with the club, on a two-year contract. Reynolds (2.07 meters, 28 years old) arrives from FC Bayern Munich, which he helped lead to a historic playoffs appearance as the EuroLeague's top two-point shooter last season. In averaging 13.6 points over 39 games last season, Reynolds made an average of 5.7 two-point shots per game for a total of 222 and 10.8 on a per-40-minute basis -- all of which were league highs. Indeed, his 222 two-pointers were 34 more than any other player. Reynolds also pulled the second-most rebounds all season, 226, for a fourth-ranked average of 5.8.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prepare for takeoff 🛂 <a href="https://t.co/UzrN5jEkVm">pic.twitter.com/UzrN5jEkVm</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1407946233780527106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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"I am very happy and thankful for the opportunity to come back to Maccabi," Reynolds said. "My first experience showed me Maccabi is a great club and made my decision easy this time. I can't wait to see the arena full of amazing fans. I will bring all of my energy and focus to help the team win everything!"

Reynolds had been a mid-season pickup for Maccabi the previous 2019-20 season, averaging 5.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 14 minutes over 12 games before the rest of that season was canceled. His previous Euroleague Basketball stops included two in the 7DAYS EuroCup, helping Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia reach the 2017-18 semifinals with 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, then putting up 13.8 and 8.1, respectively, for Zenit St Petersburg the following season. Reynolds has also played professionally for Recanati of the Italian second division, Guangzhou Long Lions in China, and Stockton of the NBA's G-League.

"We know him well, he knows us well and he will be able to adjust fast and get ready to help the team quickly," Maccabi head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos said.

Maccabi and Reynolds, together again

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Anadolu Efes Istanbul has kept another important piece of the roster that helped capture the Turkish Airline EuroLeague crown last month by signing swingman James Anderson to a new deal, the club announced on Thursday

Efes extends swingman Anderson

Anderson (1.98 meters, 32 years old), who joined Efes in 2018, has appeared in a league-high 106 EuroLeague games over the past three seasons - of which he has walked off the court as a winner 75 times. He helped Efes reach the championship game in 2019 and win the EuroLeague crown last May. Anderson played in each of the team's 41 games last season and averaged 4.2 points on 45.1% three-point shooting and 2.8 rebounds.

A veteran of six EuroLeague seasons, Anderson made his competition debut in the 2014-15 campaign with Zalgiris Kaunas, before helping Darussafaka Istanbul in 2017 and Khimki Moscow Region in 2018 reach the EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time, respectively. He has also played a total of five seasons in the NBA for four clubs – San Antonio, Philadelphia, Houston and Sacramento – and played briefly for San Antonio’s D-League affiliate in Austin.

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">📝<br><br>2018-2019 sezonundan bu yana formamızı terleten şampiyon oyuncumuz <a href="https://twitter.com/JA_Five?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JA_Five</a> ile 1 yıllık sözleşme yeniledik!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/uds78BrgZy">pic.twitter.com/uds78BrgZy</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1408032295592804355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Anadolu Efes Istanbul has kept another important piece of the roster that helped capture the Turkish Airline EuroLeague crown last month by signing swingman James Anderson to a new deal, the club announced on Thursday.

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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has a new point guard to run its offense after signing Pierria Henry to a one-year deal with an option for another season, the club announced on Thursday. Henry (1.93 meters, 28 years old) arrives from TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz where he spent the last two years. He led the league with 1.7 steals per game last season, the second in a row in which he topped the charts in steals. Henry ranked second in assists with 7.3 per game and also averaged 10.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. During his time with Baskonia, he helped the club win the 2020 Spanish League championship.

Henry was the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season MVP and earned All-EuroCup First Team honors during the 2018-19 season with UNICS Kazan. He has also played professionally with Tofas Bursa in Turkey, Hapoel Eilat in Israel, ratiopharm Ulm in Germany and Vita Tbilisi in Georgia

<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Pierria Henry Fenerbahçe Beko’da! ✍️💛💙<br><br>👉 <a href="https://t.co/Z5be5z4gQ2">https://t.co/Z5be5z4gQ2</a> <a href="https://t.co/l2PY3IVeZU">pic.twitter.com/l2PY3IVeZU</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1408033080837816323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Fenerbahce puts Henry at point guard

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One of the most decorated big men in basketball history, Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid, has decided to hang up his sneakers after a legendary career that spanned more than two decades, including 17 seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and three in the EuroCup. Reyes, 41, leaves the game having won the EuroLeague twice and the EuroCup once with Real, which he joined in 2004 from Estudiantes Madrid, his only other professional club. Reyes finishes his EuroLeague career ranked first all-time in offensive rebounds (705); second in total rebounds (1,799), free throws made (967) and fouls drawn (1,308); third in games played (357); sixth in performance index rating (3,775); and eighth in scoring (3,029). With the Spanish national team, Reyes won gold medals at one World Cup and at three EuroBaskets, plus two silvers and one bronze each at the Olympic Games and EuroBasket.

Reyes announced his decision at an event held on Thursday in Madrid, where he was joined at a press by club president Florentino Perez and surrounded by family, friends, current and former teammates and coaches, club legends, administrators and others who gave the long-time Real captain extended ovations in appreciation of his singular service to the sport of basketball.

"In life, everything comes to an end, and although my head and my body says I can do a little more, I believe that the moment has arrived to put the final point on my days as a professional player," Reyes said. "I am very hopeful for the future, without knowing what my next steps will be, but what I do know for sure is that I want to give back to this sport, in some way, all that it has given me. Basketball will continue to be part of my life, for sure, but now my family will be my day-to-day priority."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/9FelipeReyes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@9FelipeReyes</a>: &quot;Gracias al <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RMBaloncesto</a>, el club de mi vida, que me lo ha dado todo&quot;.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GraciasFelipe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GraciasFelipe</a> <a href="https://t.co/eMhFYKfpeH">pic.twitter.com/eMhFYKfpeH</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1408024605139214337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

Reyes made his Spanish League debut with Estudiantes Madrid on October 4, 1998 and played for that team until 2004. He helped Estudiantes win a Spanish Copa del Rey in 2000, and to reach the EuroCup Semifinals in 2003 and 2004, and the Spanish League Finals in 2004. In his third season after joining Real, Reyes had the highest PIR in the 2007 EuroCup Championship Game as the team lifted the trophy. After that, he was the captain of Real for many seasons during the club's EuroLeague resurgence, ending a span of 15 years without reaching a Final Four to doing so in seven of his last 11 seasons. Together, Reyes and Real won the continental title in 2015 and 2018, while also reaching the championship game in 2013 and 2014 and additional Final Fours in 2011, 2017 and 2019. The 2015 title was especially sweet as it ended a 20-year drought of EuroLeague hardware for the most-crowned club in history and came as Reyes was voted to the 2014-15 All-EuroLeague First Team, his only such honor. As team captain, Reyes was the first Real player this century to lift the trophy and did so in front of an adoring home crowd in the Spanish capital after the team had been frustrated the previous two consecutive years in the championship game.

Reyes also helped Real win eight Spanish League titles and lift the Spanish Copa del Rey six times. He was chosen as the Spanish League MVP in 2009 and 2015 and earned Spanish Finals MVP honors in 2007 and 2013. Reyes also led Madrid to the Intercontinental Cup title in 2015.

His achievements at a club level are complemented by a legendary career with the Spanish national team. He helped Spain win a gold medal at the 2006 World Cup and also won the EuroBasket in 2009, 2011 and 2015. He was instrumental, too, as Spain capture three Olympic medals -- silver at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, bronze at Rio 2016 – plus EuroBasket bronze in 2001 and silvers in 2003 and 2007. He played 236 games with the Spanish national team, trailing only Juan Carlos Navarro (253) and Juan Antonio San Epifanio (239).

One of the most decorated big men in basketball history, Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid, has decided to hang up his sneakers after a legendary career that spanned more than two decades, including 17 seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and three in the EuroCup.

Real legend Reyes retires at 41

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