08.06.2025 23:10
In the final series of the Greek Basketball League, Olympiakos defeated Panathinaikos, coached by Ergin Ataman, with a score of 85-71, claiming the championship by winning the series 3-1.
The final series of the Greek Basketball League saw Olympiakos face off against Panathinaikos, managed by Ergin Ataman.
CHAMPION OLYMPIAKOS
In the match hosted by Olympiakos, they won with a score of 85-71. With this result, Olympiakos took a 3-1 lead in the series and declared their championship. The Greek giant reached its 14th championship in the league, establishing dominance especially in the second half of the match, with Tyler Dorsey being the top scorer for his team with 17 points. The 18 points scored by Panathinaikos' American shooting guard Kendrick Nunn were not enough for victory.
Panathinaikos' head coach Ergin Ataman was seen wearing headphones while following the match, reacting strongly to the offensive chants directed at Turkey by Olympiakos fans in the second game of the series.
THE SERIES WAS EVENTFUL
On the other hand, the incidents that occurred in the second and third games marked the series. Ergin Ataman had reacted strongly to the statements made by Olympiakos General Manager Nikos Lepeniotis after the third match of the Greek Basketball League playoff final series.
In a post on Instagram, Ergin Ataman claimed that after losing 99-88 and falling behind 2-1 in the series, the Olympiakos general manager incited the fans with statements targeting him, saying, "Five days ago, you didn't even apologize for the organized racist insults directed at my country throughout the match in your arena. I was questioned, accused, and penalized in a way I have never experienced in my 30-year career with the sports court you established at the federation building a day before yesterday's match. Moreover, I only faced the claims of three Olympiakos lawyers here. I have never backed down, nor will I. I expressed the disrespect you showed to both my country and my club in the interview I gave after the match. If I encounter a similar situation, I will not hesitate to show the same reaction."
Referring to the penalties imposed due to the incidents in the second match of the final series, Ataman stated, "Although I faced an unprecedented audacity in sports history, I was there out of respect for the Greek authorities. Matches can be won or lost, but the behavior of you, your fans, and your athletes, who have not embraced sports ethics, has gone down as a dark stain in European sports history."
Responding to the words of Lepeniotis, who accused him of disrespect after the match, the experienced head coach said, "In your last statement, you said, 'We came out of the forest alive.' No one, I repeat, no one can refer to the most modern basketball arena in Europe, OAKA, as 'Forest,' nor can they imply 'Animal' to the 20,000 Panathinaikos fans who come to support their team and whom I am proud of. I will not warn you about this matter again. Look for the reasons for your guilt not elsewhere, but in your own behavior that is unworthy of sports."