Ahead of the EuroLeague coaches’ conference, which also serves as a seminar, Zeljko Obradović explained his approach to managing players who aren’t feeling well before practice, for whatever reason. The Serbian coach, who has returned to the Panathinaikos bench, stated that if one of his players is not in the right frame of mind, he should either try to… improve it by playing basketball during practice, or else sit out so as not to affect the rest of the team.

“No one is more important than the team. Team chemistry. It often happens during the season that a player comes in and is feeling down for whatever reason. And he starts playing poorly. I call him and tell him, ‘Go out, have a good time.’ I tell the players that if you’re not feeling well before practice, don’t practice—it’s okay. Because if you’re not feeling well and you pass it on to a teammate, and he in turn passes it on to another, and that one gets knocked down, that’s not good. There’s no debate about this—the team always comes first. Players often don’t understand that, in addition to their rights, they also have responsibilities,” said “Zoc.”

Why might Coach Zeljko Obradovic tell one of his players to skip practice?

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— EuroLeague Head Coaches Board – EHCB (@HeadCoachesOrg) June 23, 2026

*photo source: KYPE