By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Pablo Laso will resurface in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague taking over head-coaching responsibilities at FC Bayern Munich, according to Eurohoops sources.
The experienced tactician parted ways with Real Madrid at the end of the 2021-22 season with the Whites citing medical reasons stemming from a heart attack early in the 2022 ACB Playoffs.
However, the Vitoria-Gasteiz native challenged the decision claiming he was indeed medically cleared to coach. Over 11 years with the team located in Spain’s capital, he won the EuroLeague in 2015 and 2018 and reached the Final Four seven times.
Laso, 55, moving on from the awkward conclusion to his lengthy and successful stint with Madrid recently entered the list of candidates to replace Ergin Ataman at Anadolu Efes alongside Xavi Pascual, as reported by Eurohoops last Saturday.
But negotiations with the team based in Istanbul ended without an agreement, per Ismail Senol of beIN Sports. He has been seeking a suitable situation to resume his coaching career with the Munich outfit fitting the bill. At this point this is not a surprise, since the first report about him and Munich first appeared more than one month ago in Spanish newspaper “El Correo”.
Pascual, 50, emerging as the main candidate for the Efes job is currently in charge of Zenit navigating the VTB United League Playoffs. Previous EuroLeague experience stretches from the team based in Saint Petersburg and Panathinaikos to FC Barcelona and the 2010 championship as the play-caller of the Catalonia giant.
Ataman, 57, will be going from Efes to Panathinaikos. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the owner of the Greens, recently welcomed him on board, confirming a previous report of Eurohoops.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net