By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Thomas Walkup joined Olympiacos in 2021, after spending three seasons with Zalgiris Kaunas. He’s entering his third season with the Piraeus team as one of the squad’s leaders, but also as a naturalized Greek national team player.
The 30-year-old versatile guard talked to Eurohoops about his role with the team, his life in Greece, and the faith that Olympiacos put in him with a contract extension.
“I’m not the guy that’s gonna take the ball and say: ‘I will score 20 tonight.’ That’s not me, not my job. My job is to play defense, set up offense, to lead the team, and this is a full-time job,” Walkup said about his role within Georgios Bartzokas’ squad.
Last summer he received Greek citizenship and played at the 2023 FIBA World Cup with the national team.
“It feels wonderful, because I’m connected to Greece. It does have a place in my heart, it does feel like home, and that’s why I’m so happy to be here, to have citizenship, to be in a place where I’m loved, where I love the people and see myself long term.”
Talking about the long-term, Walkup signed a four-year contract extension with Olympiacos. He is Greece-bound for the foreseeable future.
“It is a big deal, and I don’t take this lightly. This is very special. Not that I deserve so much respect, but they showed me respect by the offer, and weren’t trying to mess around with it. They showed me that they wanted me here, and obviously I want to be here so it went hand in hand,” Thomas Walkup said.