Panathinaikos secured a win over Anadolu Efes in a game where Efes also suffered two injury setbacks, as Ercan Osmani and Giorgos Papagiannis both exited due to physical issues.
During the post-game press conference, attention briefly shifted away from the match itself when Anadolu Efes head coach Igor Kokoskov was asked to comment on the growing conversation around the potential NBA Europe project.
Kokoskov, who has rare experience among European coaches due to his time as both an NBA head coach and long-time assistant in the league, made it clear that his immediate focus was elsewhere.
“After a game like this, I don’t even think about Euro-NBA,” he said, emphasizing that his mind was still on the contest that had just taken place.
However, he did share his perspective on the broader situation and the shifting global basketball landscape.
“I think that it’s the landscape of the world, basketball is gonna change. And the epicenter of world basketball is the NBA. Financially, they control the market, they will explore options to expand their business in Europe”.
When speaking specifically about Anadolu Efes and its place within that potential future, Kokoskov added, “Us as a team, Efes as a club, I know the management, the general manager, the president, they’re exploring all options. We are happy where we are, but we’ll see what the future brings, and Efes club, with its history, the expectations, and ambitions, deserves to play in the top league in the world. Right now, we’re in the 2nd-best league in the world, that’s EuroLeague, and we’re happy where we are”.
👀👀 Efes coach Igor Kokoskov when asked about NBA Europe:
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 17, 2025
"The club is exploring all options…
… We are happy where we are, but we’ll see what the future brings" https://t.co/8ZFbfPHQCC
