Nick Calathes offered a wide-ranging and candid interview to Euro Insiders, opening up about his early basketball years, his experiences with Panathinaikos and the Greek national team, and his time playing under Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was not only his coach but also once a teammate. The veteran guard, now with Monaco, also addressed being left off the EuroLeague’s Top 25 list, something he admitted left him both surprised and a little disappointed.
“100 percent. I didn’t make a bigger deal, all those guys on the list are great players and deserve it, but if you look at everything I’ve done in EuroLeague and accomplished, there’s no way I shouldn’t be on that list,” Calathes said. “If you look at points, assists, steals, PIR, rebounds … I think I’m Top 15 in every stat possible. I don’t know how I can’t be on that list, but I’m not that type of guy that ever talks about myself either, so I’m very happy with those guys making it. Sometimes you just don’t make it and I’m okay with that.”
He went on to admit that missing out was still a surprise.
“It’s not gonna ruin my day, but when I saw it I was shocked. Also a guy like Vesely too, if you look at his accomplishments. Ginobili is an amazing player, but for EuroLeague Top 25 … he played one year in EuroLeague.”
Reflecting on his early years at Panathinaikos, Calathes remembered how hard it was to carve out a role with a roster stacked with stars.
“Diamantidis, Spanoulis, Jasikevicius, Drew Nicholas … I couldn’t tell you who Diamantidis was, Spanoulis was … All I was thinking was I’m gonna bust their ass in practice and Obradovic is gonna have to play me. I didn’t play at all, only when we were up 20, but I showed what I can do at practice.”
He also recalled a moment he’ll never forget from his rookie season.
“They’re having film, it’s my first year and I go out with Mike Batiste and Drew Nicholas one night. We’re watching film the next day, I didn’t play and my head is against the wall … Itoudis is doing the film, 45 minutes, an hour … I rest my head against the wall and I fall asleep and I couldn’t get up. Itoudis sees me and goes: ‘Coach, I can’t do this film anymore, I stayed up all night doing this.’ I wake up to Obradovic shaking keys, he looks at me, wanted to kill me. I had the best practice ever that day, but it didn’t help. After this I’ve never closed my eyes in film. The worst experience of my career.”
On his deep connection to the Greek national team, Calathes was equally open.
“I feel Greek. Right now I’m 100 percent putting that jersey on. I’ve put the time, sweat and blood in every summer. Greek guys respect me enough to say I’m Greek. It’s an honor to put on the jersey. I feel blessed, like I’m wearing it for my grandfather. I don’t just do it to go and have my summer to play with Giannis.”
Speaking of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Calathes described him as both a superstar and a down-to-earth teammate.
“He is a great guy, even better off the court, works every day … You wouldn’t expect him to be one of the top three players in the world with the way he acts. He’s a clown, one of us. He’s hilarious, great to play with. He’s not full of himself. He’s the first guy eating McDonald’s.”
Finally, Calathes reflected on how Jasikevicius has developed as a coach since their time together at Barcelona.
“During the Barcelona days, I think he wanted to control a lot. We had a roster with so many good players that we could’ve played more free, let it flow more. I don’t know if he would tell you the same, but as I can see at Fenerbahce, he’s changed completely. Maybe that was the system in Zalgiris, he felt he needed to control more, but for me he’s changed so much. We were very successful at Barcelona, he wasn’t making us worse, but I felt he could’ve let us play more free.”
Still, he made sure to underline his respect for Jasikevicius, both personally and professionally.
“We never had any issues, arguments. We’re still great friends. He’s one of the best coaches in terms of IQ I’ve ever had. His knowledge of the game, his ATOs, all that … He’s elite at those kinds of things.”
Nick Calathes on his #Euroleague All-25 snub, Panathinaikos days, the Greek national team, playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and more:https://t.co/JMXn7NSQwY
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 22, 2025
