Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

When Doron Perkins of Anchorage was traded from China to Greece, he was elated because he was back in the Euroleague.

But now he can’t get on the court.

The 6-foot-3 guard has played only sparingly since signing with defending Euroleague champion Olympiacos, a product of being a late-season addition on an already-established championship squad.

“It has been hard to adjust because I want to play badly,” Perkins told me. “But I knew coming here that I was gonna be a reserve, so I will just keep playing hard and do what I do best. I want to play so bad. I just prepare and practice hard on my game so I will be ready to blow up.”

It was just two years ago that Perkins was an all-star point guard in the Euroleague before a knee injury in the semifinals ended his dream run with title favorite Tel Aviv.

Since then he has bounced around from Italy to Ukraine to China to Greece. It’s been a long road back to the Euroleague.

“It means a lot to me being able to play in the Euroleague coming off such an intense injury,” Perkins said. “I am blessed to be able to play at this high of a level. I have been putting a lot of pressure of myself to succeed, just because I have worked so hard and I still have goals to achieve.”

Perkins, of Bartlett High fame, started his professional career in 2005. He has been an MVP in Japan, Belgium and Israel. He has notched triple-doubles in exhibition games against NBA teams.

He is used to being a star, not a backup.

But he’s trying to cope.

Life could be worse. Dude lives near the beach.

“Athens is nice so far, lots of things to do,” Perkins said. “I haven’t really had time to travel and sightsee much because I play ball all the time, but it’s beautiful.”

Olympiacos is among the final eight teams alive in the Euroleague playoffs, with the quarterfinals beginning this week.