Few figures in European basketball divide opinion quite like Ergin Ataman.
Players. Coaches. Fans. Everyone seems to have an opinion about him.
Three EuroLeague titles in the past six seasons. A statistic he rarely lets anyone forget.
Now, for the first time since 2015-16, Ataman is likely to spend a season away from Europe’s elite competition.
Whatever your opinion of him may be, the EuroLeague will lose one of its biggest characters.
Never Boring
In all my years covering sports, only one athlete has ever approved an interview before publication – only to call five minutes later asking if we could still change something.
“I relaxed a little too much talking about Ataman… please, can we edit that part?”
That message arrived moments after the story had already gone live.
It was a very Ataman moment.
Moments like that seem to follow him everywhere. So does the famous Vladimir Micov story.
“We’d play a Turkish league game on Saturday. Then he would disappear. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday… he wouldn’t be around. He’d show up again on Wednesday for practice. The assistant coaches ran everything while he went to the seaside,” Micov recalled on the Jao Mile podcast.
He was quick to add that Ataman remained “the best Turkish coach” and later revealed they spoke afterwards, with Ataman taking the story in good spirit.
There are countless stories like that.
Conflict Never Far Away
– Yunanistan’da Olympiakos şampiyon oldu.
– Ergin Ataman maç sonu çok sinirli:Biz yenilgiyi kabul ediyoruz. Ancak Tyrique Jones maç sonu soyunma odasına gelerek Kendrick’e vurdu. Kim bu herif?Bu ne demek oluyor?pic.twitter.com/YOHRoIDuSe
— FutbolArena (@futbolarena) June 13, 2026
Crvena zvezda supporters have never forgiven him for comments he made on November 21, 2014.
“They attacked our police and our fans with flares and stones. Three or four hundred terrorists… EuroLeague should suspend those people. I was worried as a citizen. You don’t see things like this elsewhere.”
Ataman later explained that he had been unaware of the tragic death of Crvena zvezda supporter Marko Ivković when he made those remarks.
His clashes with fan bases have become part of his coaching résumé.
While coaching Panathinaikos, he famously held up three fingers followed by one, mocking Fenerbahçe supporters by referencing Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory in the Turkish Super Cup.
Fenerbahçe responded by announcing it would no longer release players to the Turkish national team while Ataman remained head coach.
He eventually apologized.
During last season’s EuroLeague playoff series against Valencia, the Panathinaikos coach publicly criticized the locker rooms and arena facilities. By Game 5, Valencia supporters were holding giant masks of a crying Ataman in the stands.
Even Valencia’s usually measured supporters found a reason to mock him.
Then there is Olympiacos.
The rivalry hardly needed more fuel. The three-time EuroLeague champion managed to add some anyway.
He argued with Olympiacos supporters even after being ejected during last season’s Greek League Finals.
Another chapter came after Olympiacos fans once again chanted anti-Turkish slogans during the Finals, Ataman responded publicly:
“Olympiacos fans, throughout yesterday’s game you once again chanted insults against my country, Türkiye. I want you to know that I am proud to be Turkish. At the same time, I have great love and respect for Greece and the Greek people, whom I consider my brothers.”
He then couldn’t resist adding one more jab.
“Yesterday your team didn’t have a single true Greek national team player on the floor.”
Even Anadolu Efes supporters – whose club he had led to back-to-back EuroLeague titles – booed him during last year’s playoff series.
His response?
He simply pointed toward the championship banners hanging from the arena ceiling before walking off.
Later, he chose a more conciliatory tone.
Drama Is Part of the Package
Ataman has argued with Valencia coach Pedro Martínez.
He has exchanged public barbs with Hapoel owner Ofer Yannay.
He has stormed out of press conferences more than once.
He has also given journalists enough headlines to fill an entire news cycle.
One of the latest came after another refereeing controversy.
“Greek media, Serbian media – keep writing that Ataman is the worst coach in Europe and that you have the best referees on the continent.”
More unusually still, Ataman rarely hesitates to criticize his own players by name.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
Last season, Richaun Holmes became a frequent target before eventually leaving the club after Ataman accused him of “sleeping on the court.”
T.J. Shorts received similar treatment.
“When T.J. was on the floor, we were playing four against five offensively,” Ataman said during halftime of the deciding playoff game against Valencia.
It wasn’t the only time he publicly challenged his point guard.
The Show Must Go On
Ataman is not always the example others should follow.
But one thing is certain.
There is no chance journalists will skip one of his press conferences. Unfortunately, that has happened all too often elsewhere in the EuroLeague.
People love to hate Ergin Ataman.
And Ataman has never shown any interest in avoiding the spotlight.
Quite the opposite. He seems to enjoy the chaos.
Some won’t miss him.
But the EuroLeague will undoubtedly feel different without the drama, the viral moments, the unforgettable press conferences and the occasional sprint onto the court to stop an opposing team’s fast break.
Until he returns.
And introduces himself at his next club by reminding everyone that he has been the best coach in the EuroLeague over the past decade.
Whatever comes next, silence has never really been Ergin Ataman’s style.
