Eddie Johnson: “I brought a black cat to training and Ioannidis canceled it”

His loss Yannis Ioannidiswho passed away at the age of 78, has shocked not only those close to him, but also those who were lucky enough to work with him, from every corner of the earth.

One of them is Eddie Johnson, a great NBAer who wore the jersey of Olympiakos in the 1994-95 season, when the “Blonde” was on the team’s bench. Although he played just one year with the “red and whites”, he managed to appreciate the Greek technician like no other.

In fact, speaking on a podcast in his hometown, Mr Johnson not only characterized Ioannidis “great coach”but also shared a funny story with him.

What he said in detail:

“We had gotten on a bus to go to a game and had already done an hour. I was always in the first places. We saw a black cat crossing the road. And the coach didn’t let the bus go that way. He asked the driver to change the road and we took another 35 minutes to reach our destination,” he said and continued: “A week later, there were many cats outside my house. I caught a black cat – I didn’t even want to train – and took it with me to the field. I released her and told my teammates that “today we have an off day”. The cat was wandering around, Ioannidis saw it and shouted “we’re done”! I didn’t tell him until after we won the championship. A great coach, we will miss him.”