By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After leading Panathinaikos Aktor to a win in Round 23 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season, Ergin Ataman discussed differences within the fanbase of the Greens.
“I don’t have any special message,” he said in a postgame press conference following Tuesday’s game against Kosner Baskonia in Telekom Center Athens, sidestepping a question about presenting a united front between supporters and the team heading to the bottom end of the 38-game double-legged round-robin schedule of Europe’s premier club competition.
“The Panathinaikos fans, the real fans, they support the team,” explained the 60-year-old tactician. “They remember the last 13 years, before I came to this club. And they always support, because at the end of the season you will win some goals or you will have fought. Before me, for 13 years, this club fought. These fans know about this. About the other fans, I don’t care.”
After guiding Anadolu Efes to back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, the Turkish coach won his third championship with Panathinaikos in 2024, ending a 13-year drought for the Greek powerhouse. In total, his current side is a seven-time EuroLeague champion.
With 15 fixtures remaining in the ongoing Regular Season, the team coached by the Istanbul native carries a 14-9 W-L tally, which ranks eighth and sits inside the Play-In Showdown zone. With the distance from elimination at 2.5 games and only one game away from a direct ticket to the Playoffs 2026, the bottom end of the schedule is destined to decide a close battle with several other contenders for a postseason berth.
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