Luca Vildoza explained his decision to choose Olympiacos over other offers he had, expressed his feelings about Panathinaikos, and addressed the reasons for his underperforming with the Greens last season.
Luca Vildoza signed a 3-year deal with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the summer of 2023 after spending one season at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.
Vildoza won the EuroLeague and the Greek championship title in his first season in OAKA, but coach Ergin Ataman didn't play him a lot. Hence, after reportedly receiving a 500,000 euro compensation from the Greens, he went on to pen a two-year contract with Olympiacos Piraeus.
The 28-year-old Argentinian guard became the 17th player to transition from the Greens to the Reds and the 32nd in total to jump on either side.
Luca Vildoza
| Team: |
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens |
| Position: | PG |
| Age: | 28 |
| Height: | 191 cm |
| Weight: | 86 kg |
| Birth place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
"I don't know how many players have worn both jerseys, but based on my experience, it feels special," Vildoza told Olympiacos' website.
"Two of the greatest and most historic clubs in Europe wanted me to be part of their organization and this is something special," he noted.
"Last year I was very happy to sign with Panathinaikos and now I feel even more happy to belong to Olympiacos. I feel really welcome in my new team. I've already spoken to a lot of people and I'm really feeling good," he noted.
Vildoza reflected on his 2023-24 campaign with Panathinaikos and the reasons that made him leave the EuroLeague champs.
"I cannot say that it was a difficult or easy decision [to join Olympiacos]," he said.
"I know last year I didn't get the opportunities I wanted. I got injured and when I came back I didn't get the chance to play as I expected, nor as everyone expected. So the best thing I could do to fix that was to leave," he argued.
Vildoza pointed out that Panathinaikos signed Lorenzo Brown, whom he called "a new player in my position."
"There have been some offers from other teams, but to be honest when you taste the feeling of winning, you don't want to go back," he admitted.
"I know Olympiacos aim to win the EuroLeague and that's what I want. I want to win and first of all show myself that I can find myself again on the court. I want to show everyone that last year's Luca is no longer here," Vildoza emphasized.
Further reflecting on last season, Vildoza conceded that it was a "very difficult" year for him.
"I had to adjust my game to playing a few minutes and sometimes not at all. To be honest, that was hard for me. I had some injuries that made it easier for the coach not to use me," he said.
"In general, I was very happy when I was at Panathinaikos. The decision I made to sign with Olympiacos wasn't about me getting payback. I don't want people to think that. They treated me very well, we won everything and I left with good feelings for everyone in the organization," the player clarified.
"My decision had to do with the fact that I love Greece and the way the Olympiacos people approached me. He was different. They made me feel special. I spoke to coach [Giorgos Bartzokas] and I felt really welcome to the team. That was very important. I had no doubt in my mind whether I should sign."
