 Allegedly, due to "family reasons," Spanoulis decided that he would not remain in the NBA, with his agent going as far as, comparing the Rockets reluctance to break his contract to slavery.Spanoulis, instead opted to return to Panathinaikos, to once again play in the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.In June 2013, Spanoulis claimed that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy told him on the first day he arrived at Houston that since he was a rookie, and unfamiliar to Van Gundy, he would be benched for the season.