By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
DeShaun Thomas officially signed a one-year contract with Panathinaikos. The American forward will continue his career with the “Greens” after a stint with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, where he was crowned the 2018 Winner League champion.
Following the announcement of his deal with Panathinaikos, Thomas talked to Eurohoops about his move to a six-time EuroLeague champion and reuniting under head coach Xavi Pascual.
“Panathinaikos is a new challenge in my career,” Thomas said to Eurohoops “I will play for such a big team that has won the EuroLeague six times and is one of the top teams in Europe. Last year I had a pretty good season with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is also a very good team, and I think I’m ready to make a step forward by joining one of the top teams in EuroLeague. I know coach Xavi Pascual from our cooperation with Barcelona. He’s the one that gave me the opportunity to play at a high level since he brought me to Barcelona from Nanterre. He showed me trust, a fact that gave me confidence and his presence at Panathinaikos was for me a pivotal factor to work with him again.”
And what about Thomas’ motivation? There are two different focuses for the player: Helping Panathinaikos reach the Final Four for the first time since 2012 and defeating archrival Olympiacos. For Thomas, there’s also an extra, personal reason for the latter.
“In 2017 with Efes we were eliminated from the Final Four to Olympiacos. As with Barcelona in 2015. So that’s an extra motivation for me. Beating Olympiacos and advancing to the Final Four with Panathinaikos. I expect a very competitive season and I’ll try to do the best I can to achieve our goals.”