Name: Top 10 PLAYS | ANGT Finals Berlin
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

Ergin Ataman lifted his third EuroLeague trophy and first as Panathinaikos BC head coach as the Greens beat Real Madrid in the 2024 championship game.

The magic of coach Ergin Ataman

What [Ergin Ataman](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/ataman-ergin/) did this season with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is almost unprecedented. He took a team that finished 17th in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season and guided it to the championship in the space of just one year. Great praise was deservedly heaped on Coach Ataman after Sunday’s come-from-behind win over Real Madrid.

Sitting courtside for the games, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo told Ataman after the final: "You are the No. 1 coach, the best. I would love to play for a coach like you."

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Panathinaikos guard [Marius Grigonis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/marius-grigonis/002328/) gushed to the Lithuanian media about Ataman after the final, too. "I have no idea what he's doing, but he's creating miracles," he said. "Incredible. Everyone wrote us off. He makes miracles, it's not for my head to understand. I'm too stupid to understand, he just goes and wins titles."

Final Four MVP [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) also credited Ataman in the post-game press conference in Berlin: “He’s the main reason why I’m over here in Panathinaikos. He was the first guy who believed in the dream, and now we have shown everyone what was the dream – the championship.”

### What is Ataman’s magic recipe?

There are a few rules to the Ataman system that he shared in a 2022 interview shortly before he led Anadolu Efes Istanbul to a second consecutive championship. Aside from his basic coaching principles, which focus on player movement to maximize spacing on offense and tough individual and team defense, the coach believes in giving the players the confidence and freedom to operate on the court.

"Ataman has a very specific approach for a game which is completely to relax the team," [Vasilije Micic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vasilije-micic/002580/), who was named the 2021 EuroLeague MVP while playing for Ataman, said before Sunday’s game. “That’s how we played for him and I think that is very efficient.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">OOOOEEEE ERGIN ATAMAN ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/YupIuLuLNE">pic.twitter.com/YupIuLuLNE</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794862650406670500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sloukas called the Turkish tactician the “leader of the team” at Sunday’s post-game press conference.

“He trusts the players. He knows what they can do on the court. And he leaves them the space and the time to do it,” Sloukas said before going into specific examples.

“I know he trusts me. He left me in the game. I didn’t have a good semifinal. We spoke yesterday and we said I am going to be better and we are going to win. He knows what I can do. He knows what [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) can do. And all players. You saw how he trusted \[Nunn\] today because he had 3 fouls.  He kept him \[on the bench\] and he put him exactly at the moment we needed him and he scored big buckets. And finally, we succeeded in a great victory. I want to say thank you to \[Coach Ataman\] because I believe without him we could not do anything.”

The magic of Coach Ergin Ataman

### What his big statements show

As part of relaxing the team, Ataman regularly makes bombastic statements. This season, he said he would take Panathinaikos to the Final Four from the moment he was handed the reins. And he doubled down after the Greens lost Game 1 of the playoffs at home against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

“I made a promise to all the people here that we will go to the Final Four. And my promise is that. Nothing important, it’s 0-1. We will go to the Final Four. If we don’t go to the Final Four, I won’t be with Panathinaikos next year,” Ataman stated.

In doing so, he shows confidence in his players, while also taking some pressure off them. His bold talk makes Ataman a magnet for the media and allows his players to relax and watch. Reporters looking for a good quote will chase Ataman before they come to [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/), Kendrick Nunn or Sloukas.

Then there is team chemistry. “It's important that everybody must understand his role and everybody must respect each other,” Ataman said in that 2022 interview.

And throughout the lengthy season, with domestic competitions and EuroLeague travel, Ataman makes sure that his team functions well together and that they all buy into their roles so that the unit is ready for the big moments. That could be seen in the playoffs and the Final Four as the likes of [Panagiotis Kalaitzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/panagiotis-kalaitzakis/011209/), [Luca Vildoza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luca-vildoza/007947/) and [Kostas Antetokounmpo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-antetokounmpo/011221/) all made key contributions in limited minutes.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Ataman: «You want the 7th star, 7th star is there!» ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/GwARKPJf6M">pic.twitter.com/GwARKPJf6M</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795122250263269400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The reason that Coach Ataman’s feat this season is “almost unprecedented” is that Ataman came very close to doing the exact same thing in the past. Efes hired Ataman midway through the 2017-18 campaign, in which they finished dead last. A year later, Efes was in the championship game.

And what came after that? Efes in 2019-20 was looking like a world-beater, leading the standings by two wins before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps there is now room for great excitement next season among fans of the Greens as their beloved club tries to go back-to-back.

More Panathinaikos News

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens head coach Ergin Ataman lifts the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy in the direction of the Greens' supporters inside Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

The Turkish tactician has separated himself from the pack by winning three EuroLeague crowns in the past four years. How does he do it?

The magic of Ergin Ataman

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

The Greens flipped the script against Real Madrid en route to the EuroLeague title

Panathinaikos turned the championship game like no team before

Last Sunday night, [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2023-24) was able to celebrate winning its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown and the club's first since 2011. And the Greens did so in style, not only during the season as a brand-new team with a new head coach, but also with the way they won the championship game in Berlin, Germany.

Panathinaikos found itself down by 14 points, 41-27, in the opening quarter, which made its eventual win the third-largest comeback in the championship game this century.

That is also tied for the fifth-largest winning comeback in any Final Four game since 2002, while Panathinaikos had never come back from a deficit larger than seven points in a Final Four game before Sunday.

The only other two occasions when a team came back from a larger deficit to win the EuroLeague title was done by a club Panathinaikos knows all too well – Olympiacos Piraeus. The Reds overturned a 19-point deficit in 2012 to stun CSKA Moscow, then a year later erased a 17-point deficit to beat Real Madrid in London.

Interestingly, in both of those games, Kostas Sloukas helped Olympiacos win the crown. On the other hand, Real has now been part of four of the top five biggest comebacks in championship game history, finding itself on the losing side on three occasions.

What Panathinaikos also did on Sunday in Berlin was set a new mark for the biggest victory by a team that was losing by double digits in the championship game.

The Greens trailed 41-27 early in the second before cutting the gap before halftime, then they managed to turn things around after the break and eventually celebrated an 80-95 win.

That margin of 29 points is tied with Olympiacos's triumph in 2013 for the biggest-ever point swing in a championship game, as Panathinaikos found itself down by as many as 14 points before eventually coming away with a 15-point triumph.

But that's not all. Panathinaikos actually led by as many as 18 points in the final moments of the game before Sergio Rodriguez's three-pointer set the final score. That difference of 32 points, from the Greens’ biggest deficit (14) to the largest lead (18), is the biggest point swing in a championship game in which the winner found itself down by more than a single basket.

The previous record (31) for such a point swing was held by Olympiacos in 2013, which trailed by 17 before going up by 14 points in overtime against Real Madrid.

Panathinaikos managed to flip the switch at just the right time, allowing it to achieve a memorable feat and secure a seventh star.

The Greens overturned a 14-point deficit against Real Madrid en route to winning the EuroLeague title

Panathinaikos flipped the championship game script like no team before

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Go inside the locker room after the championship game to see how Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens celebrated its first EuroLeague title in 13 years.

 The Panathinaikos locker room celebration in photos 

Ergin Ataman was the soul of the party in the lockerooms. This is his third EuroLeague title.

Kostas Sloukas - Final Four MVP - and Ataman were the most iconic duo in this seventh title for the Greens

After the courth photo, the Panathinaikos team gathered together for a new keepsake but this time inside the lockerroom

Coach Ataman celebrates with general manager Sani Becirovic, a former EuroLeague champ with Panathinaikos in 2007

Sloukas poses with his Final Four MVP award

Coach Ataman waits in the lockerrooms corridor with the trophy before going to the press conference

It was champagne hour in the Panathinaikos lockerroom to celebrate the club's first Eur

Jerian Grant and Kostas Antetokounmpo have the time of their lives celebrating thirs first EuroLeague title

Big man Mathias Lessort appears out of nowhere to photobomb coach Ataman with the trophy

The Panathinaikos locker room celebration in photos

For one Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens player, the journey to green glory started when he was born and his father was wearing the same uniform.

No place like home in Ioannis Papapetrou's 'amazing journey' to the EuroLeague title

He was the first of the new champions to cross the Greek divide, leaving Olympiacos Piraeus after five seasons and two runner-up EuroLeague finishes to join Panathinaikos Athens in 2018.

But [Ioannis Papapetrou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/ioannis-papapetrou/005161/) trading red for green was not quite seen as betrayal. After all, his father Argiris had played a decade for the Greens, so Ioannis grew up around the club. If anything was surprising, it's how long he took to get home.

Alas, from 2018 to 2022, he and the Greens made the EuroLeague Playoffs just once, and in that case were swept. So, when another Panathinaikos legend, Zeljko Obradovic, came calling, Papapetrou left to play for Partizan Belgrade in the summer of 2022, only to lose Game 5 of the playoffs to Real Madrid last season.

If Papapetrou, 30, seemed cursed not to win a EuroLeague title by then, two things changed that narrative. 

First, he was called back to Panathinaikos by new head coach Ergin Ataman. And second, after an injury-plagued season, he played under 3 minutes as the Greens lost home-court advantage with a 87-91 defeat to Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Game 1 of the playoffs.

After that game, Papapetrou didn't go home and sulk. He stayed at OAKA, the club's cathedral, and spent time on shooting practice until almost midnight with his older brother, Georgios, feeding him passes.

"I was watching a lot of basketball, so I wanted to play," he explained later of the late-night, post-game, individual practice. "I went out to practice because I didn't play. You know, that's my philosophy all my career. Obviously, through ups and downs, I want to stay ready as much as I can, and I want to help."

To say that Papapetrou helped the Greens become champions is an understatement. He would average 12.5 over the last four games of that series, making 11 of 18 three-pointers – only Kendrick Nunn made more – at a rate of 61.1% – only Luca Vildoza was more accurate. He averaged 28 minutes as the Greens won three of the next four games to reach their first Final Four in 12 years. 

Although he played somewhat less in the Final Four, having started the last two playoff games, Papapetrou would start both at the Final Four, too. Indeed, they were his only four starts of the entire season, but they were all do-or-die games that the Greens swept to lift the title. 

For Papapetrou, the long-awaited moment of victory was the culmination of a lifetime of Panathinaikos pride, from the fans he joined in the stands as  a kid, to the older brother still supporting him, to their father who wore green longer than the new champ.

"Fans know that my father, obviously, played for the club and they know my love for the club. My father didn't get one of these," he said, looking down at the player's individual replica of the EuroLeague trophy in his hand, "and I'm happy I'm bringing one home."

More Ioannis Papapetrou news

Some Panathinaikos players, and their superstar family members, jumped on social media soon after the game.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Updated ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ <a href="https://t.co/PSqkTMzZhb">https://t.co/PSqkTMzZhb</a></p>&mdash; Mathias Lessort (@ThiasLsf) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf/status/1794845486228418774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7c0sITsRpO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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For some Greens' players, it took a few days, after things settled down a bit, to sum up their impressions.

Celebrations and the mood on the floor and in the locker room were emotional and wild, as usual, featuring a few guest appearances.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Incredible scenes on the court ☘️🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZXX2MoXjv8">pic.twitter.com/ZXX2MoXjv8</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1794830435387904276?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a moment ❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> <a href="https://t.co/5z7z4Mi91p">pic.twitter.com/5z7z4Mi91p</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1794832721023209700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Giannis is 👀👀👀👀👀👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y90KS3abDc">pic.twitter.com/Y90KS3abDc</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1794835501779947830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Željko, Itoudis, Ataman watch out a new generation is coming up 👀🤣 <a href="https://t.co/RIZmKiMd5r">pic.twitter.com/RIZmKiMd5r</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1795064216816116204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7czoQqI_JW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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EuroLeague players, both current and former voiced their opinions after the championship game. Once all was over, Barcelona center Willy Hernangomez, a brother of Panathinaikos forward Juancho, led the way congratulating his brother.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fight For Glory! 41 ! family first!! ❤️<br>Enhorabuena hermano 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/juanchiviris41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juanchiviris41</a></p>&mdash; Willy Hernangómez Geuer (@willyhg94) <a href="https://twitter.com/willyhg94/status/1794823636521754676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">From being way out of the playoffs to winning the Euroleague in one season.. don’t underestimate how hard that it is. Ataman &amp; Panathinaikos deserve their flowers.. congratulations! <a href="https://t.co/egvJqh3d5f">pic.twitter.com/egvJqh3d5f</a></p>&mdash; Chima Moneke (@Chimdogg_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chimdogg_/status/1794822760906281299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unbeliveble finals! Great basketball! So happy for my guys Pap &amp; Mathias! They deserved this! 🙏🏼👏🏼 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a></p>&mdash; Danilo Andjusic (@Djusa33) <a href="https://twitter.com/Djusa33/status/1794826474475917627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> amazing accomplishment capturing Euroleague title # 7!!!!!!! ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️</p>&mdash; K.C. Rivers (@kcriv3rs) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcriv3rs/status/1794826397497840120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE FINAL FOR LOOKED INCREDIBLE! 🔥 ✍🏽</p>&mdash; Jus (@JusAnderson1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JusAnderson1/status/1794828442351112492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a></p>&mdash; Jordan Theodore (@J__Theo25) <a href="https://twitter.com/J__Theo25/status/1794827323361083837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> congratulations way to play big the whole season.</p>&mdash; Othello hunter (@O_hunter5) <a href="https://twitter.com/O_hunter5/status/1794824199481270330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade congratulated Mathias Lessort and Ioannis Papaptrou, who both made a move from Belgrade to Athens last summer. Efes was quick to send congratulations to coach Ataman and his assistant Cenk Yildirim, while Zagiris did the same for their former player Marius Grigonis.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Family 🤍🖤 🤞🏿💚🤍 <a href="https://t.co/XMXzNrRIZK">https://t.co/XMXzNrRIZK</a></p>&mdash; Mathias Lessort (@ThiasLsf) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf/status/1795506412090544394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🏆 Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a>, our former Head Coach Ergin Ataman, and former Assistant Coach <a href="https://twitter.com/cenkyildirim7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cenkyildirim7</a> for winning the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> title!</p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1794824781461938521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cdB_ksBYk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cdB_ksBYk/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; 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**CAPTION THIS**: As our friends from Basketnews put it: "When you win the EuroLeague…"

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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7ckWS5M4I_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7ckWS5M4I_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; 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It's a wrap on the 2023-24 season and Wade Baldwin put it perfectly:

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another amazing Euroleague season officially in the books. Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paobcgr</a> for getting the title. The league continues to grow in an upward direction thanks to the players , coaches , fans , and league members.</p>&mdash; IV (@The_Fourth_Wade) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Fourth_Wade/status/1794991596544610735?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Championship game social media look-back

Panathinaikos BC guard Kostas Sloukas made history at the EuroLeague Final Four by coming away with his fourth trophy, which have come with three teams.

Kostas Sloukas added to his Final Four legacy in Berlin

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens star [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) was chosen as the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four MVP after an excellent performance in the championship game against Real Madrid. It was the icing on the cake of his many Final Four milestones which, at age 34, he will likely add to in the coming years. 

Sloukas just won his fourth EuroLeague title. He won back-to-back crowns with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2012 and 2013, totaling 22 points (5.5 ppg.) and 6 assists (1.5 apg.) in those four Final Four games. When Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul won the EuroLeague title in 2017, Sloukas had 3 points and 5 assists in the championship game. His highest PIR in a EuroLeague Championship Game was 11 with Olympiacos in 2015. 

Last season, Sloukas had 6 points and 3 rebounds for Olympiacos against Real, then missed the game-winning shot at the buzzer. That frustration was probably in the back of Sloukas's mind throughout the season, and when he returned to the EuroLeague Championship Game last Sunday, he was ready. 

Sloukas led Panathinaikos past Real Madrid with 24 points on near-perfect shooting, only missing one free-throw attempt. He added 3 assists and had a PIR of 31, by far his best performance in the EuroLeague Championship Game. 

Kostas Sloukas led Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title with a truly legendary performance.

Sloukas is the 2024 Final Four MVP

### Sloukas joined an exclusive club

Above all, Sloukas lifted the trophy with a third consecutive team, something that only [Saras Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/saras-jasikevicius/adg/) (FC Barcelona, 2003, Maccabi Tel Aviv 2004, 2005, Panathinaikos 2009) was able to do before him. His outstanding display in the title decider allowed him to earn Final Four MVP honors in a situation he knows better than almost anyone. 

After not seeing game time at the Final Four in 2009 and 2010, Sloukas made his Final Four debut in 2012. Since then, he has been to 10 Final Fours and is close to holding some all-time records in European basketball's showpiece event. Sloukas ranks second in PIR at the Final Four (203), only trailing Victor Khryapa (208). He ranks fifth in scoring (191), third in assists (67) and second in free throws made (57). 

### Mr. Final Four

Sloukas has played for the title with Olympiacos in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2023, with Fenerbahce in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and with Panathinaikos this season. Those eight championship game appearances are unprecedented in the Final Four era. 

You have to go back to the late 1970s to find something similar, as Pallacanestro Varese reached 10 consecutive European Cup finals from 1970 to 1979. Dino Meneghin leads the list with 13 championship game appearances. Only Meneghin, Aldo Ossola (10) and Clifford Luyk (9) have been to more top-tier championship games since European competitions started in 1958. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/kos_slou?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kos_slou</a> 🏆👏🏻<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/9ZURsOrAO0">pic.twitter.com/9ZURsOrAO0</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795111307827466713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

His four titles rank him high on the all-time lists. Only 17 players have been able to win four or more EuroLeague titles, and only two had previously done so in the 21st century: Jasikevicius and [Kyle Hines](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-hines/002812/) (Olympiacos 2012, 2013; CSKA Moscow 2015, 2019). Ahead of him, there's just Meneghin (seven titles), Luyk and Ossola (five titles each). 

Some may think that for many years Sloukas was in the right place at the right time. He has proved all of them wrong by leading Panathinaikos to the title as the Final Four MVP. Right in the prime of his career, Sloukas is in an optimal situation to keep winning, as he looks to lead the reigning EuroLeague champion to glory again next season. 

Time will tell whether Sloukas can add to his personal roll of honors, but his numbers are already legendary. 

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard Kostas Sloukas lifts the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy along with head coach Ergin Ataman.

The veteran Greek guard wrote his name further into the history books with his championship game heroics

Top on-court celebration photos

The two key figures in Panathinaikos success, Coach Ergin Ataman and point guard Kostas Sloukas, were letting all the emotions out after the victory.

Kostas Antetokounmpo joined the list of players who won both the EuroLeague and NBA titles, and his brother Giannis was there on the court to join him in celebration.

Jerian Grant, Juancho Hernangomez and Marius Grigonis all celebrated becoming the EuroLeague champs for the first time.

Kendrick Nunn, who joined Panathinaikos after Round 6, scored 21 points in the championship game despite the early foul trouble.

Kostas Sloukas, who made the move from Olympiacos to Panathinaikos last summer, celebrated at the end as the Final Four MVP.

Grigonis was one of a handful of Panathinaikos players who was not in his first season with the club.

Ioannis Papapetrou won the crown with the club he has been a fan of his entire life.

Sloukas and Ataman raised the trophy together.

It was the first Panathinaikos title since 2011.

For Sloukas, it was his fourth EuroLeague title with third different club, while it was third title in the last four years for Ataman.

Most of the fans at the Uber Arena stayed for the trophy ceremony, witnessing the confetti falling.

Sloukas previously won two titles with Olympiacos (2012 and 2013), and one with Fenerbahce (2017).

This was seventh EuroLeague crown for Panathinaikos, all coming since 1996, and many of the players had seven fingers up when celebrating.

Player and staff families soon joined the on-floor celebrations, making the moment event special for the players.

Konstantinos Mitoglou raising the trophy towards the fans.

Mathias Lessort joined the club of players who have won both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.

Jerian Grant was last year's EuroCup MVP, coming up just short to win that competition, but now he is the fourth EuroCup MVP to also win the EuroLeague title.

Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed the celebrations as much as his brother who won the trophy.

Coach Ataman got used to holding a EuroLeague trophy, after winning back-to-back titles with Anadolu Efes in 2021 and 2022.

Mathias Lessort enjoyed the moment holding his son in his arms.

Luca Vildoza joined the least of six Argentineans who won the EuroLeague crown.

The minutes after the final buzzer sounded in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game brought a release of euphoria as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens celebrated its first continental title in 13 years.

The best photos of Panathinaikos celebrating on court

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana has won its fourth consecutive Slovenian League title by sweeping Helios Domzale in their best-of-five finals series. In Wednesday's Game 3, Cedevita beat Helios on the road 78-91, to win its 21st domestic league crown.

Cedevita Olimpija defends Slovenian League crown

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana has won its fourth consecutive Slovenian League title by sweeping Helios Domzale in their best-of-five finals series. In Wednesday's Game 3, Cedevita beat Helios on the road 78-91, to win its 21st domestic league crown.

After a pair of home wins in the first two games of the finals series, Cedevita left no doubt on Wednesday, winning the first quarter 14-37 and never looking back. The team from the Slovenian capital took a 47-71 lead into the fourth quarter, and cruised to victory.

Alen Omic led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Among six players scoring in double digits, DJ Stewart had 17 points, while Luka Scuka and Zoran Dragic scored 13 apiece, with Scuka also pulling down 9 rebounds in a title-clinching win.

The veteran guard starred in both games in Berlin to help Panathinaikos gain its seventh star

 Jerian Grant was an unsung hero of the championship effort 

It’s hard to say there were any unsung heroes on Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens’s championship-winning squad. After all, the Greens’ faithful sang loudly about all the players.

That said, some names flew a bit under the radar compared to their contributions. One of those names was [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/).

The playmaker was among the most important Panathinaikos players in the 80-95 victory over Real Madrid. Whether you measure his contributions by the faith his coach put in him, the numbers or the confidence he gave his teammates, Grant was critical to the Panathinaikos effort.

How much did Coach Ergin Ataman trust Grant? The only player to feature more in the championship game than the 32:38 minutes Grant spent on the court was his teammate, All-EuroLeague First Team center Mathias Lessort (33:13).

Grant also led all players with a +/- of 18. In the roughly 7 and a half minutes in which Grant was on the bench, Real Madrid outscored Panathinaikos 17-14. When Grant played, the Greens controlled the scoreboard 63-81.

After scoring the Green’s first points of the game with a triple, Grant finished the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 17. He tied the 2.06-meter Lessort for the team lead in rebounds and led Panathinaikos in both assists and steals.

Jerian Grant's best plays from the championship game

That came after he scored 13 points and led the team in +/- with 20 in the 73-57 victory over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the semifinals.

### His teammates valued Grant's contribution

How did his teammates feel about Grant’s game? His backcourt mate Luca Vildoza singled him out.

“We have really good players,” Vildoza said. "Sloukas was controlling the game, Nunn is always there, but I think the main guy was Jerian. Jerian was playing defense everywhere, helping everywhere, scoring when it was necessary, so I’m really happy for him.”

Grant, as a classic team player, shared all the credit when asked after the game how Panathinaikos changed the game after the halftime break: “As a team. We knew we had 20 minutes left in the second half to bring home the seventh star and we did that.

“From day one, Coach told us our goal was to get to the Final Four and to win the championship, and we got it done. \[The Final Four\] was two games to call yourselves champions of EuroLeague, so whatever we had to do, whatever energy we had to get, we were going to do that.”

### Grant was the EuroCup MVP a year ago

It’s been a rapid rise for Grant, who won the EuroLeague in his fourth season playing in Europe. The son of long-time NBA player Harvey Grant, Jerian spent four-plus seasons in the NBA before crossing the pond, where he first played in Greece for Promitheus Patras during the 2020-21 season. He debuted in the EuroLeague the following season with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which he also helped to win the Italian League and Cup double.

Last season, Grant moved to Turkey and helped Turk Telekom Ankara reach the EuroCup Finals. He was named EuroCup MVP. He now joins a select list of players to have been both EuroCup MVPs and EuroLeague champions.

Only 31 years old, Grant still has many more seasons to continue contributing at the top levels of European basketball.

Game News

Jerian Grant was an unsung hero of the championship effort

Valencia Basket found a new coach, none other than Pedro Martinez, who will start his second stint with the club after signing a two-year deal on Tuesday. 

 Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach 

Valencia Basket has reached back into a successful past to put head coach Pedro Martinez on its bench again with a two-year mandate, the club announced on Tuesday. 

Martinez, 62, had previously coached Valencia for two seasons, from 2015 to 2017. He helped the team win its only Spanish League title in 2017 and also make to the BKT EuroCup Finals that year.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Es miércoles <br><br>Y los miércoles es el día del espectador <br><br>Así que hoy, hay 𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 🚬 <a href="https://t.co/qqc9X957kC">pic.twitter.com/qqc9X957kC</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1795824919286042923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Martinez started his coaching career with Joventut Badalona, becoming the youngest coach ever to win a European trophy by leading Joventut to the 1989-90 Korac Cup crown at age 28. Martinez arrives from BAXI Manresa, where he worked for the last five seasons. It was his third stint with that club.

Martinez has also coached Salamanca, Granada, Ourense, Menorca, Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Estudiantes, Girona and Sevilla, all of his native Spain. Martinez helped Girona reach the EuroCup final in 2008, and also made it to the BCL final with Manresa in 2022.

Martinez is one of two coaches, along with Aito Garcia Reneses, to work in over 1,000 Spanish League games. He has a 24-22 EuroLeague record (52.2% wins) with Baskonia and Gran Canaria, and a 73-33 EuroCup record (68.9% wins) with Gran Canaria, Estudiantes, Girona and Valencia.

MORE VALENCIA BASKET NEWS

The club has brought back a former coach for a second stint with the club.

Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach

By leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown, Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Ergin Ataman achieved a three-peat, of sorts

By [leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/championship-game-live-real-madrid-vs-panathinaikos/), Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Coach Ataman led Anadolu Efes Istanbul to back-to-back EuroLeague championships in [2021 ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-wins-its-first-euroleague-crown/)and [2022](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/eb21-finalfour-final-madrid-efes-report/). After missing the playoffs in 2023, Ataman joined Panathinaikos, returned to the Final Four and ended up lifting the trophy. That's three consecutive Final Fours without a loss. 

He is the third coach to achieve that in the Final Four era. Zeljko Obradovic did that twice, once with three different squads and the other with Ataman's current team, Panathinaikos. Obradovic won EuroLeague titles with Partizan Belgrade in 1992, Joventut Badalona in 1994 and Real Madrid in 1995. In 1993, Obradovic coached Partizan, which was not allowed to compete due to the UN embargo on FR Yugoslavia. Obradovic did it again with Panathinaikos in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Greens missed the Final Four in 2008 and 2010, so Obradovic won the EuroLeague in three consecutive Final Four appearances. 

Pini Gershon won the 2001 SuproLeague with Maccabi, did not coach for the next two seasons and returned to the team to win back-to-back EuroLeague crowns. Aleksander Gomelskiy (ASK Riga 1958, 1959, 1960) and Pedro Ferrandiz (Real 1965, 1967, 1968) also won three consecutive championship games before the Final Four era.

### Ataman's trail of trophies

Throughout his coaching career, Ataman has won four different continental trophies. He won the Saporta Cup with Montepaschi Siena in 2002, the EuroChallenge with Besiktas Istanbul in 2012, the EuroCup with Galatasaray Istanbul in 2015 and the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and 2022 and now with Panathinaikos in 2024. Only Dusan Ivkovic (EuroLeague, EuroCup, Saporta, Korac) and Aito Garcia Reneses (EuroCup, Saporta, Korac, EuroChallenge) have also won four different European trophies.

Ataman has now led five different teams to European trophies. He is the second coach to achieve this. Only Obradovic is ahead of him, as he has won European trophies with six different teams: Partizan, Joventut, Real, Benetton Treviso, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce Istanbul.

Ataman has also won the Turkish League championship with an unprecedented three different teams: Efes, Besiktas and Galatasaray, and it looks like his golden era with Panathinaikos has just started. The one and only, Ergin Ataman!

The Panathinaikos maestro added to his legacy in Berlin

 

For a fan base used to winning titles that had waited 13 years for its newest continental crown, the explosion of joy when Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens returned home on Monday was something to behold.

The Greens had collected their first six EuroLeague titles between 1996 and 2011, making Panathinaikos the most successful team of the Final Four era, but a 12-year wait to get back to the Final Four meant a long wait to celebrate again.

All that pent-up energy was on display even before the Greens returned as Omonia Square in central Athens was teeming with celebrants soon after the final buzzer of the championship game, which saw Panathinaikos take an 80-95 comeback victory over Real Madrid to claim the title at Uber Arena on Sunday in Berlin, Germany.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Panathinaikos fans celebrating in the center of Athens winning the seventh ⭐️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4Glory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4Glory</a> <a href="https://t.co/CbvEWVZ5lL">pic.twitter.com/CbvEWVZ5lL</a></p>&mdash; Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eurohoopsnet/status/1794867730044293559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It marked the "the seventh star" to be added to the Panathinaikos logo and marked the second time that the Greens had won at the same arena in Berlin, after their 2009 triumph there. By the time the team's plane landed the next day, an estimated 50,000 fans were waiting at the airport to praise them. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🔊🔊🔊🔊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/kAeWOga0D8">pic.twitter.com/kAeWOga0D8</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795070145104118090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

From Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, riding a green open-topped bus with the slogan "The King is Back", the team was escorted into central Athens by a phalanx of fans on motorcycles draped in the Panathinaikos colors, with fans along the route singing the club's songs.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CHAMPIONS ARE BACK HOME ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/sQZcwEQbV8">pic.twitter.com/sQZcwEQbV8</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795108328495812817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

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The desination was OAKA arena, where even more fans were on hand, under a bright sun, ready to lose their voices cheering or their heroes. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Meanwhile at OAKA ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/PzjAmSQsGA">pic.twitter.com/PzjAmSQsGA</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795085259152789793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

A highlight the crowd loved was center Mathias Lessort imitating his coach's famous two-fisted victory celebration, then getting Juancho Hernangomez and the self-same Ergin Ataman to join him.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/juanchiviris41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juanchiviris41</a> do it like Coach Ataman! 😆💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/ECN3E0UEig">pic.twitter.com/ECN3E0UEig</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795110253270376923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 


Ataman, who joined the team last summer and had been promising a return to the Final Four and a new title, appropriately had the final word for the fans.

"You believed in us. We believed in you. Enjoy the seventh star. You wanted the seventh star. Here is the seventh star!" Ataman told the crowd.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Ataman: «You want the 7th star, 7th star is there!» ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/GwARKPJf6M">pic.twitter.com/GwARKPJf6M</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1795122250263269400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Athens turned green for Panathinaikos's return

Don't miss out. Take a look at the best 10 plays of the 2023-24 ANGT Finals!

Top 10 PLAYS | ANGT Finals Berlin

Don't miss to take a look at the best ten plays of the 2023-24 ANGT Finals!

The former Maccabi player has led the team to playoffs in each of the last two seasons

Maccabi pens Coach Kattash to two-year extension

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced on Wednesday that it has signed head coach Oded Kattash to a two-year contract extension. Kattash has guided Maccabi to a 40-28 regular season record in his two seasons with the club and in both years the Israeli champs have pushed their playoff opponents the distance before losing Game 5s on the road.

“I am happy and proud to sign for two more seasons with Maccabi,” Kattash said. “I am very appreciative, grateful for the confidence in me this shows and ready for the challenges that await us. Right now, we are all focused on the mission in front of us, to win the Israeli championship.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🤝 <a href="https://t.co/KGHnBoQkVc">pic.twitter.com/KGHnBoQkVc</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1795752626480697800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is the second stint at the Maccabi helm for Kattash, who had an illustrious playing career with his boyhood club Maccabi and Panathinaikos Athens. He helped Panathinaikos win the EuroLeague in 2000 before a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career as Kattash was entering his prime at age 28. He began his coaching career in 2004 with Hapoel Galil Elyon and debuted as a EuroLeague coach in 2007 with Maccabi, where he went 6-3 before resigning.

Kattash has since coached Hapoel Galil Elyon, Hapoel Eilat, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Jerusalem and Panathinaikos as well as Israel's national team. He won the Israeli League with Galil in 2010 and Israeli Cups with Jerusalem in 2019 and 2020. Kattash guided Panathinaikos to the 2021 Greek championship and won the Israeli League with Maccabi last season.

"It seems only natural to me that Oded will continue in his role as coach of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team for the next two years," Maccabi president Shimon Mizrahi said. "This basketball season has proven and strengthened his abilities. Oded knew how to navigate and strengthen the relationship with the team's players despite the difficult conditions that we had in the last eight months, and he succeeded during this period with significant achievements. I wish him continued success with the club."

More Maccabi news

A rip-roaring championship game in which both sides dominated one half ended with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions for the 2023-24 season. Check out the top photos from the final!

 Top 10 photos of the Championship Game 

Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos detonated a huge first-half dunk.

Sergio Llull of Real Madrid confronted the sticky defense of Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.

Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos challenged Real big man Vincent Poirier at the rim.

Vincent Poirier of Real got the best of the Panathinaikos defense with this early two-handed slam.

Kostas Sloukas, voted the Final Four MVP, was a smooth operator whether passing or scoring.

Real Madrid tower of power Edy Tavares got loose for more than one slam dunk.

Panathinaikos defensive ace Jerian Grant tussled with Edy Tavares for a loose ball.

Real Madrid swingman Dzanan Musa made a save in the corner in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Panathinaikos fans.

Panathinaikos big man Mathias Lessort made a monster put-back dunk amid the Greens' momentum change.

All eyes were on Real Madrid's Facundo Campazzo as he raised up for a three-point attempt.

Top 10 photos of the EuroLeague Championship Game

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beat a local rival Studentski Centar in four games of the best-of-five Montenegrin League finals series, winning its fifth straight title. Buducnost clinched its 15th league championship in 16 season with an 83-90 Game 4 victory on Tuesday.

Buducnost repeats as Montenegrin League champ

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beat a local rival Studentski Centar in four games of the best-of-five Montenegrin League finals series, winning its fifth straight title. Buducnost clinched its 15th league championship in 16 season with an 83-90 Game 4 victory on Tuesday.

Buducnost took control in the second quarter, and a 0-12 run that turned a 30-27 deficit into a 33-42 halftime lead. The hosts rallied in the first 5 minutes of the third, tying I at 47-47, but Aleksa Ilic scored 7 points as Buducnost re-established control, making it 54-65 after three quarters, and taking the lead for good.

Yogi Ferrell led the way in Game 4 win with 23 points. Kenan Kamenjas collected 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Ilic finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Kostas Sloukas lifted the EuroLeague trophy as Panathinaikos BC captain, which is the fourth time he's become a EuroLeague champion.

Kostas Sloukas's bold decision has been vindicated

It takes a whole lot of courage to move between rival clubs, but that’s precisely what [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) opted to do last summer. Overnight, the 34-year-old went from being adored by the fans of Olympiacos Piraeus to being despised. On the other side of town, the opposite happened. The Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens supporters went from whistling Sloukas to chanting his name in songs. Oh, how quickly things change in sports.

Well, one constant is Sloukas appearing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. The veteran Greek guard played an important role for Olympiacos as it went all the way to the title decider, only to lose in the final seconds to Real Madrid. Having decided that he wanted a new place he could call home, Sloukas was inspired to join the Greens thanks to the arrival of Ergin Ataman.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WE DID IT! ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/WfW4ZaCIZx">pic.twitter.com/WfW4ZaCIZx</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794861458725237162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“He trusts me,” Sloukas said of Ataman in the post-game press conference. “The situation is what brought me over here. He’s the main reason why I’m over here in Panathinaikos. He was the first guy who believed in the dream, and now we have shown everyone what was the dream – the championship.”

“Until the first day that we arrived together, after we met casually at the airport in the summer, we told each other that so far we have always been opponents,” Ataman recalled. “But he has a lot of respect for me, I have incredible respect for him for his character and his play. He will have two more years on his contract, I have only one more year, so I can guarantee you \[that we will be together\] for one year.”

Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Kostas Sloukas: ‘We are the best team in Europe’

Sloukas missed what could have been the game-winning shot last year, but has now [earned Final Four MVP honors in this year’s title decider](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kostas-sloukas-is-the-final-four-mvp/). It was viewed as a bold decision to leave Olympiacos for Panathinaikos, yet it has only taken Sloukas one year to be vindicated.

In particular, when Panathinaikos’s season was on the line – either in the playoffs or at the Final Four – Sloukas has largely been there to show why he was such a coveted signing by the Greens’ hierarchy. His backcourt connection with fellow star [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) gave Panathinaikos a partnership that could take them all the way, and so it proved.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TWO WORDS: KOSTAS SLOUKAS 💚<br><br>OUR CAPTAIN 🫡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/64Rvuu5FCS">pic.twitter.com/64Rvuu5FCS</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794842075936239845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The idea of a fairy tale is often applied to sports, but in Sloukas’s case, he certainly believes that to be true.

“Can you tell me a better story than this: me, from Olympiacos, going to Panathinaikos and showing the European championship to everyone in my first year?”

Now, Sloukas is a four-time EuroLeague champion and has lifted the trophy with three different clubs. His name will forever be remembered in Panathinaikos folklore, too.

Kostas Sloukas celebrates with his Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens teammates after winning the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title.

The Greens' guard lifted his fourth EuroLeague trophy on Sunday night