Ergin Ataman, Turkey’s national team coach and head coach of Panathinaikos, faces a unique situation if Greece beats Lithuania in the EuroBasket semifinals, as he would confront players he coaches professionally.
“I have great feelings for all the Greek people, for Greek basketball. I have five (Panathinaikos) players in that team, I also know all the other players, from Olympiacos, from other teams, and of course Giannis. For sure, as a basketball roster, Greece is maybe the best team right now. And as a coach, I would say that nobody wants to play against Greece in a semifinal,” Ataman said when asked about a potential matchup.
He described the possibility of facing Greece as his “destiny.”
“I have five players there, big feelings towards Greece, as a country, I hope that they will win, and it will be my destiny to play against them in the semifinal. It will be seven Panathinaikos players on the semifinal court, if Greece wins.”
On the Greek roster, in addition to the five Panathinaikos players, Omer Faruk Yurtseven and Cedi Osman also play for the club. Osman suffered an ankle injury in the quarterfinal against Poland, but Ataman is optimistic about his return.
“He wanted to play in the last quarter, but it was dangerous right now. Right now, it’s very difficult to make any comment. The good thing for us is that we have three days until the semifinal, and if I know Cedi, for sure he will be on the court. I hope he will be 100%.”
Ergin Ataman: "Nobody wants to play against Greece, but it will be my destiny"
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 9, 2025
Plus a quick update on Cedi Osman's injury#Eurobasket https://t.co/FMX3ABoriO
