eljko Obradovi returns to Panathinaikos as coach until 2029

Željko Obradović has returned to the bench of Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, signing a three-year contract that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2028/29 season, the club announced on Sunday. The 61-year-old Serbian, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball coaches in European history, last led the Greens in 2012 before brief stints at Fenerbahçe and Partizan. His appointment marks the start of a new era at the Olympic Stadium, where club president Dimitris Giannakopoulos hailed the move as “the king’s return.”

Panathinaikos confirmed the deal in a statement released late on 21 June 2026, hours after Giannakopoulos shared a photograph of himself and Obradović at Cape Sounion on social media. “The king is back,” Giannakopoulos wrote, echoing the club’s long-standing nickname for the coach. Greek media immediately framed the hiring as a statement of intent for the upcoming EuroLeague campaign, with local outlets noting that Obradović’s arrival coincides with the club’s push to reclaim its status as Europe’s pre-eminent basketball force.

French mid-season reinforcement Étienne Kamara, who joined from LDLC ASVEL, echoed the sentiment in a video interview with PAO TV. “I made the best choice,” Kamara said. “We want to bring Panathinaikos back to the top.” His comments came after talks with technical director Stefanos Kotsolis and assistant coach Jakob Nyström, who will work alongside Obradović in designing the squad for the new cycle.

Serbian press reports, cited by Greek outlets, suggest Obradović may bring two familiar faces with him: former club legends Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste. While neither player has been officially announced, local journalists writing on 21 June 2026 speculate that Diamantidis could return as an assistant coach and Batiste as a player-coach, reuniting the core of Panathinaikos’ 2007–2012 dynasty that won five consecutive EuroLeague titles.

The move comes as Panathinaikos prepares for a summer of rebuilding after a disappointing 2025/26 season that saw the club miss the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time in over two decades. Obradović’s track record—nine EuroLeague titles, including three with Panathinaikos—positions him as the ideal architect to reverse the club’s fortunes. His first training session is expected to take place in early July at the club’s training complex in Filothei, Athens.

Elsewhere in European basketball, Fenerbahçe Beko secured its 13th Turkish Basketball Super League title on Sunday, defeating Beşiktaş 77–75 in Game 4 of the finals. Tarık Biberović’s buzzer-beating three-pointer sealed the victory, capping a dominant playoff run that underscored the club’s regional supremacy.