Fans hurl flares and smoke bombs as Sasha Vezenkov leads Olympiacos to Greek championship

EuroLeague MVP and potential Kings summer signee Sasha Vezenkov was at the center of an ugly scene as Olympiacos closed in on its second consecutive Greek League championship Thursday.

Olympiacos was declared the winner after unruly Panathinaikos fans forced officials to stop Game 4 of the Greek League finals at OAKA Arena in Athens, Greece.

According to various reports, fans hurled smoke bombs and flares toward the visiting bench with Olympiacos leading 63-35 in the third quarter. Milwaukee Bucks star and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was among those who were evacuated from the arena.

Olympiacos went into the game with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Vezenkov posted 11 points, four rebounds and two assists before Game 4 was suspended. The Kings hold the draft rights to the 27-year-old forward and have signaled their desire to sign him this summer.

Eurohoops.net reported fans threw various objects onto the protective net surrounding the court. Videos posted to social media showed smoke filling the arena after at least two smoke bombs exploded. One of them went off directly behind the Olympiacos bench seconds after players and staff left the area to seek safety in their locker room.

The Kings acquired the rights to Vezenkov last summer in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Vice president of player personnel Phil Jabour, coach Mike Brown, general manager Monte McNair and chief operating officer Matina Kolokotronis have all traveled overseas to scout the 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward from Bulgaria.

The Kings will soon renew contract talks with Vezenkov after failing to reach an agreement last summer. Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, teams can’t begin negotiations with unsigned draft picks until after the draft. That includes unsigned players from prior draft years.

The Kings will have to wait until after next week’s draft to sign Vezenkov, but their intentions are clear if the two sides can agree to a deal. The two-time Greek League MVP averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists this season while shooting 53.6% from the field, 37.8% from 3-point range and 87.9% at the free-throw line.