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.