By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Tyson Ward sat down with Eurohoops in an interview powered by Novibet to discuss his decision to join Olympiacos and his goals for the 2025-26 season.
“There would be no better way to win the Euroleague than in your own city,” he stressed, referring to the EuroLeague Final Four 2026 being held in Telekom Center Athens between May 22 and 24. “Unfortunately, it’s not in our gym, but any way to win in Athens would be amazing.”
Starting the continental campaign, the Reds have won three out of five, setting the pace in the bid to capture the championship. Incoming Ward has enjoyed continental success as a BKT EuroCup champion with Paris in 2024 and Basketball Champions League champion with Telekom Baskets Bonn in 2023.
“This is whenever I complete the trifecta,” he showed the space for a tattoo, “I’m going to get all the BCL, EuroCup, and the Euroleague right here, and then I’ll go play FIBA Europe Cup and try to win that, and then I’ll be done with Europe.”
“Well-oiled machine”
From his rookie year with s.Oliver Wurzburg to Bonn and Paris, Ward already liked Olympiacos, way before signing with the Greek powerhouse in June.
“It just seemed like it was a well-oiled machine,” he recalled reactions to facing the Reds, “Everybody knew what to do. They didn’t do anything. It wasn’t anything too flashy. It was just the right way to play basketball. That’s the way I’ve learned how to play basketball, and I thought, man, I think I would really fit in here.”
“I have new teammates. I have people who don’t know the same stuff that I know or do the same stuff that I know. I have people here who have been here for 5-6 years, and they have these ways, these tendencies. I’m no longer the guy that’s like the old guy, the person that’s been through it and seen through it, and now I’m the new guy,” he described a necessary restart.
The discussion also featured a brief ‘see you soon’ to former teammate T.J. Shorts II, now on the opposite end of the Derby of the Eternal Enemies and Panathinaikos Aktor.
His path
The 28-year-old winger went from sharing about his childhood in Tampa to deciding to focus on a basketball career, including how much help he got from his father, Chris.
“I had somebody who’s played overseas. I’ve had someone who’s been around professionals to know what hard work is. Someone to push me every day, and then I help me hold myself accountable,” he recalled motivation. “It wasn’t always easy, but it’s always an advantage to have someone where you can just go home or on the car ride home. You can talk to him about basketball, and you know he has the answers. He’s seen it, he’s done it. So it’s a huge advantage.”
Also, Ward talked about giving back to his family and his story with Landon Solberg at North Dakota State.