Nikos Rogkavopoulos explained his absence from Greece’s national team, citing the importance of mental health. He addressed criticism, shared insights on his career with Baskonia, and discussed EuroLeague contenders and standout players.
Nikos Rogkavopoulos wasn't included in Greece's preliminary squad ahead of the last FIBA EuroBasket qualifiers.
The 23-year-old sharpshooter had previously asked coach Vassilis Spanoulis to be left out of the squad ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing personal problems.
"I thought there are other guys who could be a better fit at this point, according to my philosophy," Spanoulis explained during Greece's media day ahead of the games against the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
During his one-hour apperance on the 'Triple Threat' podcast on Amerikanos24, Rogkavopoulos explained that his absence was related to a health problem that one of his relatives was facing at the time.
"I'm not a doctor, I couldn't fix it myself, I had to wait," he said.
"Initially, my family issue was a key reason why I stayed out. There were some other things I want to keep to myself. We also need to remember that mental health is very important," he added.
The Greek international fired back at those who accused him of skipping his national team duties for trivial reasons.
"To have an opinion on something means you've read it somewhere. So, someone wrote that I wasn't physically ready for the national team. If you tell the media that Nikos was out drinking until 5 in the morning, that's what they'll believe," the forward of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz continued.
"I'm not interested in everyone liking me. I want to have a good career and help my friends and family. That's my goal. I'm not here to make friends. I will try to be the best person, but I will not go mad if someone says something different," Rogkavopoulos clarified.
Looking back on his early days with the Greek NT, Rogkavopoulos recalled an advice he got from Rick Pitino on improving his shooting mechanics.
"He told me that I was putting my hand in the wrong way, and that reduced the curve in the shot. I still do, of course, but not as much as I used to," he admitted.
"It's one of the things I worked on a lot over the summer. Everything needs improvement, and I have to keep working."
Rogkavopoulos joined Baskonia in the summer of 2023. His contract with the Basque side expires in 2025, but the club has the option to extend it for another season (2025-26). Even though a player who's averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 10.1 in PIR over 25 EuroLeague games cannot go unnoticed, the forward has received no offers from any team, including his own.
"I'm not saying I want to play in Spain or Greece. But what I'm experiencing now is a situation that I like and appreciate," he explained.
"If the situation stays this way, I see no reason to change it. I want to be useful to my team. I can feel that here. I haven't received a contract extension offer. It's too early for that. Money is important and everyone is trying to earn more, but I'm too young to think about that," Rogkavopoulos said, before answering to EuroLeague-related questions.
He picked Sasha Vezenkov as the league's best player and MVP, named Sterling Brown, Tarik Biberovic and Chima Moneke as the most underrated players, and Will Clyburn as the toughest opponent to play against.
"I had to put all my energy into it. He always has the ball in his hands and attacks in a different way every time," he recalled.
Rogkavopoulos also named Thomas Walkup, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis and Jerian Grant as the EuroLeague's most apt defenders, and broke down why he thinks that the Peace and Friendship Stadium is the most difficult arena to play.
"Fans are further away from the court, and you have to adapt visually. And I will say that the 3-point percentage of Olympiacos' opponents is low [in Piraeus]. Maybe it's for that."
As the regular season of the Euroleague is entering the very end, the fight for the playoffs is getting fiercer and it is impossible to say who will be among the eight best teams. Rogkavopoulos thinks that both Greek teams, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, as well as Fenerbahce and Partizan will be in Abu Dhabi.
"Partizan are progressing. I watched the game they played against Monaco. I was very surprised by how they played. They have a lot of talent and they've found chemistry. They also have a very strong home court. Why not?" he wondered.
He also admitted that even though Monaco was his Final Four candidate for a long time, the loss to Le Mans in the Cup changed his choice.
"They are in a crisis," he argued.
"Even if it was by only one point, they lost the trophy to a team they shouldn't have lost to. Now, they have brought in Daniel Theis, a really big boost. But they already have three bigs. They will have to reboot.
They are my 5th choice, behind Partizan or Fenerbahce. But both Greek teams will be there. Especially, if they get the home-court advantage for the playoffs. I don't believe anyone can win, especially in the OAKA arena. I played there this season," Rogkavopoulos pointed out.
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