By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
SYROS – Shortly before rejoining Panathinaikos and during his appearance at the Stoiximan AegeanBall Festival, Ioannis Papapetrou talked to Eurohoops about his stint at Partizan Mozzart Bet.
Papapetrou, 29, went through his tenth campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest over 38 appearances, including 24 starts under head coach Zeljko Obradovic.
“What can I say about Obradovic? My opinion is that he is the greatest of all time, an incredible coach and person as well,” he told Eurohoops.
Back in Europe’s premier club continental competition for the first time since the 2013-14 season, Partizan ranked sixth overall in the EuroLeague Regular Season and was edged out by Real Madrid in the Playoffs best-of-five series. Winning the AdmiralBet ABA League shaped a perfect end to the 2022-23 campaign and marked the first regional championship in ten years.
“We had an especially good campaign,” the Greek forward added on Partizan’s season, “We fell narrowly shy of the Final Four and won the ABA League. I think it was a special season for Partizan because we returned to EuroLeague after many years and presented a solid team and enjoyed plenty of positives.”
Following the successful event, he officially returned to the Greens.
Papapaetrou’s first spell with Panathinaikos lasted from 2018 to 2022 with captaincy emerging in 2021, following the departure of Nick Calathes. On the opposite side of the rivalry, he played for Olympiacos from 2013 to 2018. Between both Greek powerhouses, he is a five-time Basket League champion.