The Greek side thrashed Hamburg in front of a sell-out crowd
Aris embarks on new chapter with historic night in Thessaloniki
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Regular Season
Round 2 of 18
Regular Season
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Aris Thessaloniki BetssonARI
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Veolia Towers HamburgHAM
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Overview
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It started with a rain of confetti and ended with Aris Thessaloniki Betsson’s new generation shining on the floor.
The fans couldn’t have asked for more as a historic evening unfolded at Palais des Sports, as the Greek side hosted Veolia Towers Hamburg in what was its first home game under the club's new management. This summer Aris entered a new era, with 24-year-old Canadian entrepreneur Richard Hsiao taking over the club and former EuroLeague champion Nikos Zisis being appointed as general manager.
A promising 2025-26 EuroCup campaign kicked off with a big road victory at Umana Reyer Venice last week, setting the tone for what was about to follow this Wednesday night. A sell-out crowd packed the stands, with Hsiao attending his first Aris game and loving every moment of it. The club also invited legend Nick Galis, who took his seat in the stands of an arena where he made history with some unforgettable displays in the 1980s.
Both Hsiao and Galis received a standing ovation when they entered Palais des Sports, with the fans warming up for a historic moment. The referees blew the first whistle and that immediately triggered a rain of confetti, which left layers of papers to be removed from the floor. An astonished Hsiao grabbed videos that he shared with his Instagram followers before the players took the baton from the fans.
A resilient Hamburg wasn't intimidated by the atmosphere and managed to trouble Aris’s offense in the first 8 minutes. But Elijah Mitrou-Long inspired the hosts to a 9-2 run to end the first quarter, followed by a 10-2 surge to open the second. Aris pulled away and never looked back, with each of the 12 players who stepped onto the floor celebrating a bucket of their own.
In fact, Aris head coach Bogdan Karaicic provided some youngsters with valuable playing time in the last quarter. Fifteen-year-old Chrysostomos Chatzilamprou and 18-year-old Panagiotis Lefas made their EuroCup debuts; the former netted 5 points and the latter scored 13. After playing a few seconds in Round 1, Vasillis Kazamias made his home debut, ending the game with 6 points. Aris’s new generation impressed the home crowd, with fans celebrating every single one of their buckets.
“It was a beautiful game,” Aris forward Ronnie Harrell said in the post-game flash interview. “A beautiful effort by all of us, starting with the fans, to the coach, to myself and my teammates, to the young guys. We showed what we have potential to do.”
Aris thrashed Hamburg 98-76, improving to 2-0 to open the EuroCup campaign in style. More importantly, the team and fans showed that their connection has all the potential to lead to something special this term.
“Our fans showed where their heart is at,” Harrell. “We showed what ours is about. We’ve got a lot of work to do but we showed what we can bring to the city, and the fans showed why we deserve to be one of the top teams in the EuroCup.”
The message was sent out on Wednesday night and it was heard loud and clear: Aris has embarked on a new chapter and it has what it takes to become the story of the season. What started with a rain of confetti could end with moments reminiscent of Aris’s glory days.