By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Head coach Ergin Ataman broke his silence to directly confront rampant speculation regarding his future following Panathinaikos Aktor’s agonizing EuroLeague elimination by Valencia.
Speaking with TRT Spor, the Turkish tactician admitted his profound sorrow before making a definitive statement on the club’s status. “I’m very disappointed that we couldn’t reach the Final Four. Our new goal is winning the Greek League championship. Everything written in the media is just a story and an attempt to damage our unity and integrity. Everything is normal,” he explained.
This clear public stance directly aligns with team owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos, who fiercely shut down rumors of a dismissal earlier Thursday. The 52-year-old posted a celebratory photo of the duo from their 2024 EuroLeague championship victory on Instagram, sending a resolute message to critics that anyone dismissing their shared achievements is unworthy of loving the team, before sarcastically inviting outsiders to locate the scheduled dinner meeting with Ataman.
The dramatic European exit, which saw the Greens drop their best-of-five playoff series to Valencia despite starting with two straight road wins, is now in the past. Having completed a continental campaign where they placed seventh in the Regular Season and advanced via the Play-In Showdown against AS Monaco, the club has fully pivoted toward domestic glory. Backed by Ataman’s clear declaration of stability, the squad is leveraging its second-place finish in Greece’s Stoiximan GBL Regular Season and the quarterfinal sweep of Mykonos Betsson, ahead of a meeting with PAOK in the Playoffs Semifinals.