Βy Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ergin Ataman represented Panathinaikos alongside Kostas Sloukas and, of course, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, at the press conference for the “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” tournament, which will be held tomorrow at the Panathenaic Stadium, featuring Partizan (Panathinaikos‘ opponent), Efes, and Maccabi (who will play against each other).
The three-time EuroLeague champion won two EuroLeagues with Efes, with Shane Larkin as the leader. The American guard was also on the panel as the captain of the Turkish team, and his former coach at Efes (and current Turkish national team coach) seized the opportunity to make a notable statement:
“I’m very happy to be hosting three big clubs and three great coaches and players. Zeljko was my idol at the beginning of my career. I’m happy to see Shane, with whom I won two consecutive EuroLeague titles.
Now I want to do the same with Sloukas and Panathinaikos. I’m also glad to see DiBartolomeo, who had a great season with Maccabi last year and made things tough for us in the playoffs before we won the trophy.”
Ergin Ataman also spoke about Panathinaikos’ basketball culture and history:
“Since I started with Panathinaikos, I understood the quality and culture of the team in Europe, as well as the culture of the Giannakopoulos family, which began with Pavlos and continues with Dimitris. I hope this particular tournament will be something special, especially in this iconic venue.
However, basketball is not just about the game and titles; it’s also something unique, something that relates to culture, it’s a show. What will come out of this tournament is that Panathinaikos supports peace around the world, for all people,” Ataman concluded.