Basketball
When Ataman invited President Erdogan to take Micic’s place
Ergin Ataman was invited to a short meeting by Recep Tayyip Erdogan this afternoon and Vassilis Skoundis reveals the background of their relationship…
To express my sin and without giving the impression of being clever afterwards, I dare to say that today’s tête-à-tête between Argin Ataman and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is already too late!
In fact, I wonder why the Turkish President didn’t ask or Kyriakos Mitsotakis didn’t think about having the Panathinaikos coach accompany Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis to Erdogan’s reception at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport.
In what quantity?
I don’t want any nonsense: as a prominent fellow countryman, as an athlete.. supporter and as a man whom the “Sultan” has given plenty of encouragement and who has even allowed him to troll him in public!
Erdogan’s challenge and the broken charm
Despite their friendly relations, the coach of Panathinaikos is not… Parsley, who suddenly and uninvited appeared at the Turkish embassy…
Following his habits and charm before every game, the two-time EuroLeague champion met today at lunchtime, as before every game, with a Greek friend who even offered him a cigar, which Ataman doesn’t smoke because it makes him cough!
The scheduled date was canceled at the last minute and when the 57-year-old coach told his friend that he would be meeting the President, he naturally asked…
“With Dimitris Giannakopoulos, right?“
“NO” Ataman replied, laughing.With Erdogan“!
The Turkish President himself wanted to meet his country’s sports ambassador in Greece, so Ataman left the hotel in the uniform of Panathinaikos to meet and have a short conversation…
The rhyme and the title in Cologne
There is a beautiful and tender story that I now take from my shelves and which, among the other common elements, proves the sympathy and friendly feelings that they have for each other…
Their last names rhyme: Ataman and Erdogan!
After the lost 2019 final in Vitoria and the violent interruption of the next season, which was at the mercy of the pandemic, Anadolu Efes returned to the stage more combative and was crowned European champion on May 30, 2021 in Cologne…
When the mission returned to Turkey, Erdogan invited them to the presidential palace in Ankara to formally congratulate them and honor them for their historic triumph.
Basketball with Turkoglou
Here I have to open a parenthesis to point out that the Turkish president loves basketball very much and not only watches it but also plays it, usually in the company of an experienced international striker, long-time NBA player and current president of the federation. Hidayet Turkoglu.
During the celebration, Erdoğan asked Ataman about the steps he planned to take to further strengthen the team and achieve the “repeat” that happened after a year in Belgrade…
“Mr President, we are almost full, we will not need any transfers. There is interest from NBA teams in Vasilije Micic, but I believe he will stay with us” replied the ataman, saving the best for his next vile speech…
If there is a gap in position “2”.
“If he leaves we will have a void at the guard positions and I’m wondering if you have a pair in mind to fill that void. It won’t be a problem if he has never played in the EuroLeague“.
Erdoğan took the hint and burst out laughing. I just don’t know what would happen if he asked the ataman to give him the ticket immediately!!!
However, I have a question and I confess it…
Why didn’t Erdogan invite Kostas Slukas alongside Ataman today?
Tsipras, Slukas and Nan
I’m not kidding, after all, on February 6, 2019, the then Fenerbahce Guard and current Panathinaikos was among the official guests of the Turkish President for the dinner he hosted at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on the occasion of the visit of Alexis Tsipras.
Also celebrating were Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and international footballers Kostas Mitroglou and Giorgos Tzavellas, who were also playing in Turkey at the time, the former in Galatasaray and the latter in Alanyaspor.
PS: I’m laughing now as I write this, but if the conversation today was about a couple again and Erdoğan was interested in the position, Ataman would throw porridge at him…”Sorry, Mr. President, but we brought Kendrick Nunn!
Source: sport 24
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
On 30 November, a series of matches of the 12th round of the regular season were played as part of the EuroCup.
“Shlensk” Issouf Sanona It played away against Cluj-Napoca and was defeated in the tie game, where the leader changed 18 times. The decisive factor in the match was Miletic’s two-point shot with 2 seconds left, which gave the home team a 94:92 victory.
Sanon spent 18 minutes on the field and became the team’s most productive player, scoring 17 points (5/6 free throws, 3/6 two-pointers, 2/7 three-pointers) during this time. Issouf also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
“Buducnost” Alexandra Kovlyara It played at home against Türk Telekom and lost the first quarter 20:23, but won the next three quarters to achieve an overwhelming victory with a score of 91:81.
While Kovlyar played 9 minutes, he had 1 rebound and 2 assists.
European Cup. Regular season. 12th round, 30 December
Cluj-Napoca – Slensk – 94:92 (22:17, 27:34, 21:23, 24:18)
Cluj-Napoca: Russell (30 points + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Miletic (19+14+5), Guzman (14+5+1), Molinar (13+1+4), Siser (7+6+1), Kulvetis (5+4+1), Woodbury (3+2+2), Patrick (3+1+1).
Shlensk: Sanon (17+4+4), Kirkwood (16+7+3), Djordjevic (16+9+2), Penawa (13+3+1), Niesel (8+4+3), Kulikowski (6+1+2), Urbaniak (6+7 rebounds), Czerniewicz (5+1 assists), Nunez (3+4+1), Wisniewski (1+2+1).
Budućnost – Türk Telekom – 91:81 (20:23, 24:21, 20:18, 27:19)
Budućnost: Sulaimon (25+1+1), Tanaskovic (17+13+1), Ferrell (16+4+3), Mace (15+2+5), Butey (8+2 rebounds), Mega (5), Jovanovic (2+1 rebounds), Thompson (2+3 rebounds), Butsiel (1+2 rebounds), Kovlyar (1 rebound + 2 assists).
Turk Telekom: Smith (18+1+1), Allman (17+3+4), Özdemiroğlu (12+5 assists), Bankston (9+5+1), Deveaux (7+2 rebounds), Trifunovic (6+1 rebounds), Alexander (4+5 rebounds), Durmaz (4+1 assists), Simonovic (4+4+1), Usher (3 rebounds + 2 assists).
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to left knee hyperextension.
The Serb is expected to miss all 18 matches in January and his maximum appearances this season could be limited to 64 matches. So Jokic will lose the opportunity to compete for the NBA’s main prizes – MVP and inclusion in the All-NBA, as this requires playing at least 65 games in the regular season.
Theoretically, he could return for the January 31 game against the Brooklyn Nets, which would give Nikola the opportunity to play 65 games before the end of the season, but that scenario is unlikely.
Jokic was injured in the last seconds of the first half of the match against Miami Heat (123:147) and did not return to the field after a long break. Before his injury, he managed to score 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 30, 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
-
Ligue 13 years agoRenato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
-
Europa League4 years agoIn transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
-
Europa League4 years agoFenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
-
Europa League4 years agoWithout Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
-
Europa League4 years agoEuropa League
-
Europa League4 years agoAtalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
-
Europa League4 years agoFears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
-
Premier League4 years agoExcept for the rest of January, Sean was injured