Panathinaikos is back in the spotlight thanks to Željko Obradović, as Panathinaikos returns to the constellation of Željko Obradović after 14 years, with the great Serbian coach being introduced today at the Telekom Center Athens in the presence of the club’s power broker, Dimitris Giannakopoulos.

The majority owner of the seven-time champions, speaking about Zoc, remarked that the best of the best has returned, emphasized that the feeling he gets from reuniting with the top coach in European basketball is more important than even winning a European title, while emphasizing that he had always had this specific moment in mind—namely, this new collaboration with Obradović.

In detail:

“It’s a very special day. Back in 2024, I told my friend, Nikos Syrigos, that we would try to make Panathinaikos the greatest club. We have one of the most beautiful arenas in Europe. Now we welcome the best of the best, the man who has achieved the most successes. Our beloved. He’s here so we can rewrite history. Welcome back to your family, Zeljko. Thank you for everything.”

On whether this is one of the best gifts he’s ever received, given that today is his birthday: “Thank you for the birthday wishes, but a gift like this has nothing to do with birthdays. As I told him myself, seeing the joy in people’s messages and on their faces, there’s no such thing as a birthday or anything else. For me, this is bigger than even a European title. It’s been the greatest day here in many, many years. This isn’t a gift; it’s an obligation to the Panathinaikos community.”

On when the idea of this new partnership took shape in their minds: “I’ll say something different. That thought had never left my mind. So it’s not something that came to fruition. I always had it in mind that he must, should, and I want him to return to Panathinaikos. So in my mind, it was always a done deal.”

*photo source: KYPE