By George Adamopoulos/ info@eurohoops.net
Shane Larkin, a two-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes, believes the first-place curse is finally nearing its end.
Speaking to Eurohoops, the 33-year-old combo guard identified Olympiacos as the team destined to shatter the historical trend that has long haunted the EuroLeague’s top-seeded clubs. His prediction comes as the Greek giants, who finished the 2025-26 Regular Season at the summit of the standings, battle AS Monaco for a spot in the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens, presented by Etihad.
Larkin’s endorsement is rooted in the ‘mental fortitude’ the Reds have displayed across half a decade of elite competition. Reflecting on their journey, he noted that the team has consistently shown up to ‘continue to fight for it’, despite the heartbreak of losing in multiple championship Finals and Semifinals.
Shane Larkin:
“I think the first-place curse gets broken this year. I think they (Olympiacos) did a great job of showing the mental fortitude to continue to go after it.
Being there for five years in a row… the time will be now after all the stuff they’ve been through.” pic.twitter.com/XBourgU0LM
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 30, 2026
According to the Ohio native, the resilience required to maintain such a high level for five consecutive years is ‘very tough as a team to do’, yet the Piraeus club has remained undeterred.
A major factor in his confidence is the sheer scale of the current Olympiacos project. He highlighted the club’s significant investment, pointing to a ‘20-man roster of all very high-level players’ as the primary reason this year feels different. “I think the depth is there, I think the continuity is there,” he remarked, suggesting that the ‘time will be now’ for the club to reconcile with its past struggles.
While Larkin acknowledged that his prediction might stir controversy among rival fanbases, noting that ‘some people are probably going to be mad at me for saying that’, he insisted that the weight of their collective experiences would finally lead to a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the three-time champions look to convert their 1-0 lead over Monaco in their best-of-five series into a Final Four ticket.
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