Panathinaikos AKTOR owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos spoke openly about his biggest transfer ambition and his admiration for Milos Teodosic
Dimitris Giannakopoulos has made no secret of his ambition to bring some of the biggest names in basketball to Panathinaikos AKTOR, and during the second part of his interview with the Euro Insiders podcast, he once again spoke openly about one particular target.
The Panathinaikos owner was asked about the players he has admired throughout the years and initially focused on a name from European basketball: Milos Teodosic.
“Unfortunately, the player I would have loved to sign has retired from basketball and is now, I believe, working as an assistant coach or a general manager, and that is Milos Teodosic” Giannakopoulos said.
He then explained why he considers the Serbian guard one of the most gifted basketball minds he has ever watched.
“Aside from Sarunas Jasikevicius, I think he is the smartest person on the court. After Dimitris Diamantidis, he is the most multi-talented player to ever play,” he added. “In my opinion, these three are truly in a league of their own.”
Teodosic, however, is not the player who currently occupies the top spot on Giannakopoulos’ wish list.
“I always wanted Milos Teodosic. However, there is one player who remains a dream of mine, whom I haven’t signed yet, but I will sign next year” the Panathinaikos owner said.
When asked to reveal the identity of that player, Giannakopoulos did not hesitate.
“It’s Jokic, the best player in the world!”
The statement immediately prompted a reaction from the hosts, but Giannakopoulos insisted that he was being serious about his intention to pursue the Denver Nuggets superstar.
“Don’t laugh at all. If I don’t sign Jokic, I’m not going anywhere” he stressed.
Giannakopoulos also revealed that this ambition has already gone beyond simply being an idea. According to his own account, Panathinaikos made an attempt to explore the possibility of bringing Jokic to Athens this year, despite the Serbian center still being under contract with the Nuggets.
“People are going to say, ‘OK, now he’s joking’. I did make a very serious proposal this year, both to his team and to him. I got a rejection. I know that he has one more year on his contract” he admitted.
He went on to describe the response he received when Panathinaikos attempted to buy out the final year of Jokic’s contract.
“When I asked, he had a certain contract running. This was his last year. I tried to buy out his last year. They didn’t even… It took them a few seconds to say, ‘Who?’ ‘Greece?’ ‘Where?’ ‘Goodbye’ from his team” Giannakopoulos said.
For now, the attempt has ended with a rejection, but Giannakopoulos made it clear that he does not consider the matter closed.
“Let’s wait until next year” he concluded.
