Ataman: “I want to stay for many years at Panathinaikos – We will get high, we are looking at the NBA”

He immediately and positively responded to Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ intention to “tie” him to a multi-year contract Ergin Ataman. In an interview in Turkey, he expressed his desire to stay for many years in the Panathinaikos AKTOR. At the same time, he confirmed that he is looking for a high position for positions 4 or 5, stressing that he is looking at the NBA.

The interview he gave to the Turkish “Rafine TV” in detail:

On whether he believed in the vision of Panathinaikos from the beginning: “First of all, Panathinaikos went 12 years without going to the Final 4, but they are a very big organization with many trophies. It has an amazing stadium with people who had been turned away from the team. Now in the first meeting we had with the president, he told me that “since we bring Ergin Ataman here, there is only one way”. When the president took me, that’s what he had in mind. That’s why he took me to Greece. And you tell him “Yes, you hired me, but I can’t do this job alone. We also need to build the team roster. We need to change it and we need to do it”. And the president has shown a lot of trust in me and it’s important that the president has 100% trust in you. In the season that I asked, he did it for me, all the transfers.

He asked me “Do you want Sluka?” and I replied “Of course I want him, but how are we going to get him?”. And we started trying to get Sluka. So when you get Ataman and such an important player and leader, Kosta Sluka who has been playing in the Final 4 for the last 5-6 years, Lesor who had an important year with Partizan, people start to trust you. During the year I did not say that we will win the Euroleague, but that we will win the Greek championship. During the year I heard in the streets that everyone wants the 7th star, the Euroleague cup. It was slowly starting to fill the stadium, we got Nan, we played a lot of matches and we reached the Euroleague with the world by our side. There were 3,000 Panathinaikos friends in Bologna, 5,000 in Germany, wherever we went we had people.”

For his stay in the “clover”: “We are making changes in the team. The one transfer is Lorenzo Brown and we’re going for a tall one. That is, two transfers, that’s where we are focused. I am in no rush about the contract issue. I’m in no rush to renew. The president is calm with me and knows how happy I am in Athens. But in professional life you never know what can happen. Now everything is wonderful in Athens. Of course, with so much love from Panathinaikos, I want to stay for many years. But all this will be seen by the president with my manager. We’ll see in the next few days.”

To strengthen the European champions: “The transfer of Lorenzo Brown is very important. We will also get a player at “4” – “5”, which will suit everyone. We are talking to our “goals”, we are looking at the NBA”.