Nando De Colo became Friday night with 4,906 points scored the best scorer in the history of European Cups. The ASVEL full-back only needed three points against Bologna to overtake Greek Nikos Galis. It only took him three minutes to break that record. Which earned the 35-year-old French international an ovation from the Astroballe.
It was well worth the Astroballe rising as a single man. So as soon as the opportunity arose, during a time-out, the entire Villeurbanne public gave Nando De Colo the ovation he deserved. The emblematic rear of ASVEL had indeed become with 4,906 points, the best scorer in the history of the European Cups. Admittedly, it was to be expected that the 35-year-old French international would erase the Greek Nikos Galic and his 4,904 career points on the European scene this Friday evening when Bologna came to the Euroleague. De Colo only needed three points to enter the legend alone. He didn’t wait long. Three minutes and 21 seconds very precisely.
A basket scored from the start very close to the circle, a free throw a little later and the trick was played for the one whose ASVEL hastened to salute the feat in a tweet. “Nando De Colo becomes the most prolific scorer in the history of the European Cups. What a career, what a player, what a legend. A well-deserved tribute for this outstanding shooter who is playing his 14th European season this year, he who discovered the European Cups in 2007 under the colors of Cholet and has since built himself up through his experiences in Valence, CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahçe have a dizzying record, with two Euroleague titles (in 2016 and 2019) but also another in 2010, obtained in the Eurocup.
RECORD ✅@NandoDeColo becomes the most prolific scorer in the history of the European Cups! 👏
What a career, what a player, what a legend! #LDLCASVEL pic.twitter.com/g962aEo3gb
— LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) February 3, 2023
Another record in sight for De Colo?
BEST SCORER IN EUROPEAN CUP HISTORY 🙌
With 4906 points scored, Nando De Colo overtakes Greek legend Nick Galis in the standings and becomes the best scorer in the history of European Cups ✨#TeamFranceBasket | #PassionatelyBlue pic.twitter.com/M8txzpweF8
– French basketball teams (@FRABasketball) February 3, 2023
The European champion in 2013 with the Blues has also averaged 11.6 points per game since his debut in the European Cup. A cruising speed that he sent waltzing one evening in 2019 by scoring 39 points. He was then playing at Fener and was probably far from imagining, despite this crazy performance on October 19, 2019 against Vitoria, that he would take first place three and a half years later in the ranking of the top scorers in the European Cups. But not yet from the Euroleague.
Third behind the Greek Spanoulis (4,455 points) and the Spaniard Juan Carlos Navarro (4,152), the Northerner, who totaled 4,097 points before Friday evening, could however very quickly relegate the two men there too in his rear view mirror. For Navarro, it’s almost done. As far as Spanoulis is concerned, it may be more complicated. If De Colo succeeds, then the Astroball can rise again for the hero.
