Giorgos Printezis sat in the green room at Thursday's NBA draft, waiting patiently to hear his name called.

"I was a little nervous," he said. "I said, 'Why have I worked so much? Why can't I have one chance?"'

A few picks later he got it when the San Antonio Spurs selected him 58th overall and flipped him to the Toronto Raptors for a future second-rounder.

"(The) first moment when I heard that San Antonio selected me, I was so happy," said Printezis. "But when the Raptors ... I can't say that was my dream, but whenever I was travelling through the U.S., I always said that the Toronto Raptors (are) maybe one of my favourite teams in the NBA.

"I like that they believe in the European guys, and I hope that one day I will be there. I would like that so much."

For now, Printezis is going to stay in Greece. The six-foot-nine wing averaged 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds last year with Greek club Olympia Larissa. He says he's going to spend next season with Euroleague powerhouse Olympiacos.

Via Globe And Mail

Toronto Raptors

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