By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
After more than a decade in the NBA and an NBA championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs, Cory Joseph found himself in unfamiliar territory this season – joining Olympiacos in the middle of a EuroLeague campaign after nearly nine months without competitive basketball.
Now, just months later, the veteran Canadian guard is preparing for the EuroLeague Final Four in Athens, where Olympiacos will face defending champions Fenerbahce in the semifinals.
Тhe 34-year-old arrived in Piraeus late in the season after his last NBA appearance came in April 2025. The transition was anything but easy, especially considering how quickly he was thrown into action.
“I won’t lie, it was challenging,” Joseph admitted speaking to Eurohoops. “Signing here was a breath of fresh air because I still had that burning desire to play the game I love. But that first game against Barcelona… If it wasn’t for the crowd, I don’t think I would’ve made it through. I was so tired my eyes were almost shutting by themselves.”
The former Spurs guard credits Olympiacos’ staff and teammates for helping him adjust quickly to European basketball. In 14 EuroLeague appearances, Joseph averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 assists and 7.1 PIR in just under 16 minutes per game.
Still, statistics are far from the main focus for a player who built a 13-year NBA career on sacrifice, defense and team basketball. Joseph believes his background with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs helped him naturally fit into Georgios Bartzokas’ philosophy.
“The Spurs were a very unselfish organization that valued high basketball IQ and brotherhood,” Joseph explained. “And I think being here is similar. Everybody here is willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.”
That mentality, according to Joseph, is exactly what makes Olympiacos dangerous heading into another Final Four appearance — the club’s fifth straight.
“You definitely feel that hunger,” he said, referencing the team’s recent heartbreaks on the Final Four stage. “But you can’t dwell on the past. You have to live in the moment, stack your days and moments together to get where you want to go.”
Beyond basketball, Joseph also opened up about the values that continue driving him late in his career.
“What keeps the fire going is love. Love for the game, the brotherhood, winning, the lessons basketball gives you… It all intertwines.”
The Canadian guard, who has also played for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors, said his ambitions now extend beyond basketball as well, focusing on family, community work and personal growth.
For now, though, the focus remains firmly on Athens — and helping Olympiacos finally turn years of Final Four frustration into another EuroLeague title.