By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
“It was the perfect relationship for the time we worked together”, Mike Batiste said to Kyle Hines relating to his experience with Panathinaikos next to Zeljko Obradovic and Dimitris Itoudis. “It’s a relationship and a bond that will last forever”, the current Olimpia Milano center replied in the latest episode of “A Quarter with Kyle Hines”.
The 45-year-old legendary EuroLeague center recalled his beginnings in Europe. “Even my first couple of years at Panathinaikos wasn’t easy for me. Coming from the NBA, all the freedom we had to go wild, and no curfew. It was a big-time adjustment for me, it wasn’t no easy cakewalk”, he first said about adjusting his game overseas. “In my nine-ten years at Panathinaikos I had some struggles there, but Obradovic and Itoudis put their arm around me”, he added about the coaching duo.
“They just kept pulling me in, kept me on the straight path that narrowed to success, and we all saw what happened. Shout out to Obradovic and Itoudis, because I know it wasn’t easy and I gave them a lot of headaches, man!”, he joked. “In return, they got what they wanted, same as me. I got what I wanted out of them”, Mike Batiste added regarding the number of accolades he collected in Greece.
During his legendary career in the EuroLeague, Mike Batiste has averaged 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, winning gold on three occasions (2007, 2009, and 2011) with Panathinaikos. He faced Kyle Hines on the court when he was part of Olympiacos first and CSKA Moscow later.