Greek coach Vassilis Spanoulis responded to Turkish national team coach Ergin Ataman’s remarks regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s offensive fouls, reinforcing his earlier opinions from the group stage.
“When he said that, I expected it,” Spanoulis said with a smile.
“Ataman is a great coach. He’s been doing this for many years, trying to influence people’s minds. I didn’t say it to influence anyone. I said it because it’s the reality. Let’s all sit down together and watch the games and see how many fouls Giannis doesn’t get, how many are unsportsmanlike, and how many offensive ones he’s made.”
Spanoulis added that even the fouls Giannis has been called for are sometimes questionable.
“I don’t think he is getting away with offensive fouls. They’ve also given him a lot of charges, which were not the right calls. We also saw one against Spain that wasn’t because the defender was inside the semi-circle line, and they called it offensive, and it was very crucial at that moment of the game.
“So, I think they’re calling more offensive fouls on him and not giving him the fouls he should be given, considering the way he plays. Because Giannis is a very aggressive player, who goes to the basket, and two or three players keep pulling his hands.”
Speaking to Turkish media, Spanoulis also expressed his appreciation for Ataman’s personal comments about him.
“I respect coach Ataman, we have a very good relationship, we have had many conversations, and I want to thank him publicly for the good words he said to me,” he said.
Greece and Turkey will clash on Friday, September 12, at 20:00 CET in the EuroBasket 2025 Semi-Finals, with a spot in the final at stake.
Spanoulis replies to Ataman about Giannis getting calls: "They're calling him for more offensive fouls than he commits"#EuroBasket https://t.co/eNlDflaTnJ
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 11, 2025
