Βy Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
According to Eurohoops sources, the EuroLeague per competition bylaws initiated disciplinary procedures against Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos due to his social media posts and behaviour after Game 2 and Game 4.
That’s an automatic procedure, and the decision is now pending. Following Panathinaikos‘ away loss to Luca Banchi’s team, the Greek owner indeed shared his frustration on social media.
“You were mafia, you are mafia, you will stop being mafia,” he shared on his Instagram Stories, tagging the official EuroLeague account. Moreover, he invited both EuroLeague President Dejan Bodiroga and EuroLeague Officiating Director Daniel Hierrezuelo to attend Game 5 as well.
EuroLeague per competition bylaws initiated disciplinary procedures against Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos due to his social media posts after Game 2 and the same happened after Game 4.
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— Aris Barkas (@arbarkas) May 3, 2025
It’s not the first time Dimitris Giannakopoulos has raised his voice in this season’s EuroLeague Playoffs, as he did the same after the defeat in Game 2 as well, threatening to leave the EuroLeague.
If the EuroLeague decides to apply disciplinary sanctions to Panathinaikos’ owner, it will surely not be the first time. At the end of March, he was sanctioned with “a fine of €15,000 for statements on social media regarding the officiating performance in accordance with Article 24.2.c) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.”
It was already done as well in December 2022, when he was sanctioned with “a fine of 80,000 € and a prohibition of accessing the Euroleague Basketball arenas for the following three games of Panathinaikos for his offensive statements under Article 24.1.g) of the Disciplinary Code.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Eurokinissi