Sometimes they come back: Zeljko Obradovic could take over for Ergin Ataman

Following the official confirmation of Ergin Ataman’s departure from the Panathinaikos bench, the Greek media immediately brought back into the spotlight a topic that has been the subject of discussion for some time: the possible return of Željko Obradović to the Athens “Green-and-Whites” bench. The reason is easy to understand. During his extraordinary tenure at the helm of Panathinaikos, Obradovic wrote indelible chapters in the club’s history, winning five European championships over a span of 13 years. Since last November, when he left Partizan, the Serbian coach has been without a team.

Obradovic’s resignation from Partizan came in the wake of a heavy defeat, ironically against Panathinaikos: the 91-69 loss in Athens marked the ninth defeat in thirteen EuroLeague games for the Belgrade Black-and-Whites, a record evidently deemed unsustainable by the Serbian coach, who had decided to step down. Taking over his legacy on the Partizan bench was Andrea Trinchieri, the Milan-born coach who had previously led the Serbian club between 2018 and 2020, winning the Serbian Cup, the ABA Super Cup, and a second national cup title during that period.

Ataman, for his part, had experienced a season that was anything but smooth at the helm of Panathinaikos. Emblematic of this was the February matchup against Fenerbahce, which ended in an 85-83 photo-finish loss and was marked by moments of high tension on the court: after Wade Baldwin’s game-winning basket at the buzzer, the Turkish player celebrated by stepping on the Panathinaikos logo, sparking a furious reaction from Mathias Lessort and a series of scuffles involving several players from both teams.

Despite the turmoil, Panathinaikos’s on-court results under Ataman had been top-notch, as evidenced by the decisive 111-90 victory over Virtus Bologna in the EuroLeague regular season, with Kendrick Nunn and Omer Yurtseven each scoring 27 points. Now, however, the Greek club is turning the page, and Obradovic’s name has returned forcefully to the top of the wish list, with the prospect of a homecoming that is capturing the imagination of the green-and-white fans.