He Panathinaikos has made a splash in the European market by announcing the return of Zeljko Obradovic as coach for the next three seasons. The Serbian coach, considered one of the greatest legends of the continental bencheswill return to direct the Athenian team fourteen years after his departure and will do so as the highest paid coach in the history of European basketball.
According to various information published in Greece, Obradovic will receive around 12 million euros for three campaignsan unprecedented figure for a coach on the continent. The economic bet of the club owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulosreflects the magnitude of an operation designed to return to the Panathinaikos to the elite after a season well below expectations.
Zeljko built a dynasty in Athens
The return of the coach 66 years It represents the reconciliation between two inseparable names in the modern history of European basketball. Between 1999 and 2012, Obradovic built a dynasty in Athens which resulted five Euroleague titleseleven Greek League championships and seven national Cups, a golden period that made the Panathinaikos in a continental basketball reference.
The decision comes after an especially painful course for the green entity. The team failed to qualify for the Euroleague Final Four played at OAKA and also witnessed the double success of its great rival, Olympiacos, champion of both the top continental competition and the Greek League. A scenario that precipitated the departure of Ergin Ataman and accelerated the search for a coach capable of leading an immediate reconstruction.
The most successful coach in Europe with 9 Euroleagues
Few coaches offer as many guarantees as Obradovic. Throughout his career he has gone through Belgrade, Joventut de Badalona, Real Madrid, Benetton Treviso, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahçe startaccumulating an incomparable track record crowned by nine Euroleagues. His figure continues to be synonymous with success in Europe and his hiring represents a declaration of intent by the Athenian club.
Beyond its sporting impact, the signing stands out forr the economic dimension of the operation. Never before had a coach reached similar figures in European basketball, which places Obradovic in a category of his own also off the court. He Panathinaikos trusts that the investment will serve regain prestige lost and return the club to the place it occupied during the most glorious years under the guidance of the Serbian coach.
