By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After winning the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the Turkish Super League championships in 2021, Anadolu Efes head coach Ergin Ataman attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and discussed hot topics surrounding Efes.
Ataman was asked about whether or not he would ever join Fenerbahce and admitted that he has received offers from other European clubs, though he wants to stay committed with Efes and try his luck in the NBA in the future.
“I’m very happy at Anadolu Efes. Not Fenerbahce, but I got many offers from Europe this year. My goal is to continue to win championships with my team. I hope maybe someday in the future, something that has never happened before, the NBA, You know, this is the top of the show business. A European coach has never been hired in the history of NBA basketball. This is my next goal, not Fenerbahce”, says Ataman.
While on the NBA matter, the 55-year-old Efes coach also addressed the rumor mill surrounding EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic as well as the upcoming departure of Sertac Sanli to Barcelona.
“There are a lot of candidates for the NBA, especially Vasilije Micic, but we are doing everything we can to keep them. While we were worried about Micic, Sertac Sanli’s transfer to Barcelona came out. He’s talking very seriously right now. Although, during our last visit, President Ergodan also warned him. He said, ‘what would you do there? Why would you leave the champions for the runner-ups?”. I’m saying the same thing.”
Efes made its way to the top after three seasons of continuous work. Ataman reflected on this journey and all of the obstacles to reach both the EuroLeague and domestic league titles.
“In our field, which is the best in Europe, we compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, CSKA, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos… We believed in ourselves. We have been working hard for three years. We have never taken a step back. We encountered some difficulties. Mobbing was tried to be applied to us, but we taught them a thing or two off the court as well. When you win, when you’re strong, you’re always right.”
Photo: EuroLeague