Dimitris Giannakopoulos gave a wide-ranging interview to EuroInsiders, discussing all issues related to Panathinaikos, as well as his own relationship with the team and basketball.

The “Clover’s” power broker took stock of the past season, referred to the many setbacks and injuries that affected the team, explained why he decided to part ways with Ergin Ataman, and spoke very warmly about the Turkish coach.

He also discussed the renovation of the Telekom Center, the club’s transfer philosophy, NBA Europe, and, of course, the intense rivalry with Olympiacos. In fact, he argued that there is no real comparison between the two clubs, while revealing that he has attempted in the past to build bridges of peace with the other side, but to no avail.

Dimitris Giannakopoulos also spoke about the possibility of leaving Panathinaikos in the future, leaving all options open, while revealing that in five years he imagines himself watching the team as just a fan from a specific chair in his home.

Last season

“I

don’t consider it a failure. I consider it a success, because we now have the best arena in Europe. Panathinaikos has never before had an arena that essentially belongs to the club. We managed to invest tens of millions in this arena, and I think that everyone who has seen it from all over the world has been truly amazed.

To have a home for the first time, to see families and fans coming in, season tickets selling out in seconds, and the whole of Greece calling to try to get a ticket—it means we’re doing something right. But on the competitive side, I expected better. I expected more. We hit a few bumps along the way, and these were the results we got.

The series against Valencia was one of the craziest I’ve ever seen. I’d use an even worse word, but we’re on camera! Of course, I’d love to see Panathinaikos in the Final Four, especially since it would’ve been at our home arena. It didn’t happen. Life goes on. But it was one of the reasons we shifted gears this year.”

The club’s status

“I’ll use a Greek expression and try to translate it. We say that there’s no point in hitting a tree that has no olives, because you won’t get anything from it. A healthy tree, however, that’s full of olives—that’s the one you’ll shake.

That explains a lot. I think Panathinaikos is one of the giants of European basketball. It has proven, under many different conditions—with huge budgets, with smaller budgets, and in various circumstances—that it will always be a force to be reckoned with and will continue to fight.”

Last season

“I

think this season was simply unlucky. I don’t think it was a season from which we learned anything. We had injuries at the start, such as Kendrick Nunn’s, but also in the middle and at the end of the season.

At critical moments, we lost the heart and soul of the team. We never had the chance to see the whole team play together and be truly prepared. Therefore, we don’t even know the true potential of last year’s team.”

Ergin Ataman

“Ergin was, is, and always will be someone I love. I think he’s my counterpart in European basketball. I love him very much. We share the same beliefs, the same character, the same mindset.

Throughout the season, there were people who believed that perhaps I should have made the change sooner. I would never have made the change sooner. The day I had to meet with Ergin and tell him that our partnership was coming to an end was one of the hardest moments of my time in basketball.

First and foremost, I see him as a friend. And it’s hard to make business decisions when you’re facing someone you consider a friend. In the end, I made the decision I believed was best for the team, from a business standpoint. But it was truly a very difficult decision. Ergin had become very attached to the club. He had bonded with the fans, with me, and with everyone in the locker room.”

Roster Decisions

“I don’t pick the players. Since 2012, when I took over, the only player I insisted on signing was Jason Kapono, in 2013. I’ve never been involved in a trade since then. Of course, there’s a budget every year, and it’s entirely up to the coach to decide how to use it.

There’s this narrative that DPG does whatever he wants—that he brings in players, calls them up, and signs them. That’s not true. I don’t know anything about basketball. I don’t know the rules. I don’t know what a pick-and-roll is. What I do know is three-pointers. I love three-pointers! For me, the greatest player of all time is Alvertis.”

The Key to Success

“The key to success is having people around you whom you trust. People who know their stuff, but above all, good people with good character whom you can trust.

If you show your people that, as long as you tell me the truth, most mistakes can be addressed, this builds trust on both sides. Trust is the number one priority in everything. There are people who’d rather not hear the truth. I don’t want people like that.

If you tell me the truth—even if you’ve done the worst thing in the world—we’ll sit down and find a solution. If you tell me even the smallest lie, you’re out. The truth saves time.”

His time at Panathinaikos

“I

love Panathinaikos. I’ll start with that. I grew up in a home where the word ‘Panathinaikos’ was mentioned every ten minutes. As for my involvement, I’ve said this before. It wasn’t something I wanted to do in 2012. I’d even gone as far as Nigeria to find a buyer. I didn’t want to get mixed up in it.

My father told me, “Please, don’t do this to me. It’s my legacy.” I went ahead with it, and I think I exceeded what he expected of me. Why do I keep going? I never said I’d be here forever. No one can be here forever.

But I feel a sense of obligation to the people I work with. There are millions of people I want to see wake up in the morning with a smile.

At the same time, basketball is changing. A few years ago, Panathinaikos was worth tens of millions. Now it might be half a billion. That’s something that also influences my thoughts about the future. I’d say I have one and a half feet in and half a foot out. We’ll see.”

The Future

“Do you

see where Fri sits? In five years, I’ll put a TV there and watch the games like a fan from that chair. I’ll be yelling, ‘You need to get another center, you need to get another guard, you need to get another forward.’

I’m not going to pass on to my kids the obligation to be in this position. I hope I’ll be healthy and financially able, if they ever want to get involved.”

NBA Europe

“From a

business perspective, NBA Europe will certainly take European basketball to another level. I wouldn’t want to see the true giants of European basketball split into different leagues or fall apart.

I won’t go into details, because I don’t yet know what the final outcome will be. From what I can see, the new head of NBA Europe is making efforts in the right direction. It would be unfair for me to have a specific opinion on what he’s doing, since he’s only been in the position for a few months. I simply hope that all his plans come to fruition.”

The Rivalry with Olympiacos

“There’s

no rivalry in basketball. In soccer, Olympiacos, unfortunately, has a greater number of championships, titles, etc., and that has carried over to basketball.

We are two completely different clubs. I cannot accept that Panathinaikos and Olympiacos in basketball can even be mentioned in the same breath. I think we have 44 titles and they have 21. That’s almost double.

Over the past ten years, Olympiacos fans have learned that a basketball is orange, not black and white. Ten years ago, you’d go to the Olympiacos arena and hear “offside, offside.”

His relationship with Olympiacos’ management

“They’ll throw a small stone at you. If you remember it well enough, you pick up stones—and fortunately, in this area (Sounion), there are huge stones. You just pick one up and throw it back. It’ll help. Action and reaction. The reaction can never be involved. And it’s one thing to use the truth and quite another to use lies, anyway.

I’ve said this a thousand times. I’ve tried it; I tried to make my relationship with the Angelopoulos family more human. Let’s play one-on-one and send the money to an orphanage.

No, I’m buying and making scarves—half Panathinaikos, half Olympiacos—with the message “Say No to Violence” written on them. I called them and asked if they’d like me to come to the stadium and bring some of them, so we could sit together.

I’m very sorry, but our team, our fans, and our organization aren’t ready to support something like that. It was in the news a few weeks ago; on a personal level, I used to send bottles of champagne to everyone on their name days, every Christmas, when their sons or daughters were born and they were in the hospital.

I heard that they were taking my plants outside because they were afraid I’d planted microphones in them. There’s no willingness on the other side. There have been so many times when I’ve been ready to sit down at the same table with them. When I did sit down once, I was physically attacked by one of them. That was in the office of the Deputy Minister of Sports a few years ago.

I feel sorry for them. Often, psychology tells us that you have to try. I try to put myself in their shoes and understand why they have Stockholm syndrome toward me.”

The incident at SEF during last year’s finals

“According to Greek basketball regulations, if there is abusive behavior toward individuals five or six times, the game must be suspended. That has never happened. I went to the referees before the game, along with people from Olympiacos, and told them that this is a rule and we expect it to be enforced.

Instead of yelling at me, they decided to yell at my daughter, who has nothing to do with basketball. At some point, without anyone knowing how, I was informed that I had been ejected from the game and could not return to the court.”

Family

“The number one thing in life is love. The best thing you can do for your children is to love them. When you grow up in an environment where there’s love all around you—from your parents, uncles and aunts, siblings, and cousins—you absorb that love.

I think that’s the greatest shield in life. It’s what enables you to move forward—without insecurities, without problems—and with the ability to help the person right next to you.”

Panathinaikos’ Market Value

“Panathinaikos’s

value a few years ago was in the tens of millions. Now it may be half a billion. That’s a proven fact. Part of that is what still keeps me here. Part of that may even be changing my thoughts about my future involvement.

But I certainly won’t pass on to my children the obligation I had when I took over in 2012. If they ever want to get involved, they’ll have the financial means and the freedom to decide for themselves. All I can say is that right now, I have one and a half feet in and half a foot out. We’ll see.”

*Photo source: Panathinaikos BC