By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following Panathinaikos Aktor’s dramatic EuroLeague elimination by Valencia, team owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos has issued a fierce public defense of head coach Ergin Ataman, shutting down rumors regarding his potential dismissal.
Taking to Instagram, the 52-year-old team owner posted a story featuring a celebratory photo of the duo from their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship victory in 2024. The caption sent an uncompromising message to critics: “Anyone who forgets these moments and goes as far as to dismiss people and achievements is unworthy of saying they love our team. More on this a bit later, because we have work to do…”
“P.S. Try to find out where our meeting is scheduled for today,” he sarcastically added in his post. To address the situation, Giannakopoulos and Ataman are meeting for dinner Thursday evening to review the continental campaign and plan the future.
The Greens fell short of the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens, presented by Etihad, losing their best-of-five series to Valencia despite starting with two straight road wins. This capped a European season where they finished seventh in the Regular Season and secured their playoff spot by defeating AS Monaco in the Play-In Showdown.
With the continental chapter closed, Giannakopoulos has firmly pivoted the club’s focus toward domestic glory, setting the ultimate goal of winning Greece’s Stoiximan GBL championship. Having finished second in the domestic Regular Season, Panathinaikos comfortably swept Mykonos Betsson in the Quarterfinals of the Playoffs. They are now preparing to face PAOK in the upcoming Semifinals.