EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu has paid tribute to the late Panathinaikos president Pavlos Giannakopoulos, who passed away earlier today.
With Pavlos at the helm of the Panathinaikos sporting club, he found great success with the basketball club. He helped win six EuroLeague crowns, the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, 13 Greek League titles and nine Greek Cups.
Pavlos and Thanassis were also named joint winners of the EuroLeague Executive of the Year award for the 2010-11 EuroLeague season.
“This is a sad day for European basketball and for me, especially, because with the passing of Pavlos Giannakopoulos I have also lost a friend,” Bertomeu said in a statement.
“Pavlos and Thanassis were the driving force in building Panathinaikos into the sporting empire it is today. Their passionate and unwavering support for their club turned Panathinaikos into a model of greatness that clubs across Europe and beyond strove to match.
“Pavlos brought both vision and pragmatism to the decisions he made and helped all of European basketball take several steps forward over the decades of his involvement. He was a true example of love for basketball. Pavlos leaves a great legacy of success behind and will be greatly missed.”
