This will be the first appointment for the Serbian coach after he resigned from Partizan in November 2025
The most trophy-winning basketball European coach Zeljko Obradovic will take over the Greek Panathinaikos. Information about Obradović's return to the Athens club was published by the club itself on the X social network, along with a photo of Obradović and Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Janakopoulos.
Obradović signed a contract with Panathinaikos for three years, for which, according to Sportklub, he will earn more than 10 million euros.
This will be his second term on the bench of the Greek giant. With nine European championship titles, Obradović is the coach with the most trophies in the history of European club basketball. During his 13 years of work in Athens, from 1999 to 2012, he won five Euroleague trophies, 11 Greek championships and seven Greek Cups.
Obradović's professional staff will most likely consist of first assistant Mike Batiste, a former Panathinaikos basketball player from Obradović's trophy era in Athens. He was an assistant to Darko Rajakovic in the Toronto Raptors last season.
"As if a day hadn't passed"
Παναθηναύκος ανακοινωνει έλικο Ομπράντοβιτς for the next 3 years.
The story continues…#paobcaktor pic.twitter.com/HGASN7KzxT
— Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) June 21, 2026
Vasilis Xanthopoulos, former coach of Peristeri and former player of Obradović in Panathinaikos, will certainly be in the coaching staff. Dimitris Diamantidis will return in an expanded role, but not as a coach, he says Sport Klub.
On the bench, he will succeed Ergin Ataman, with whom the Greek club ended cooperation on Friday. Ataman won four trophies with Panathinaikos, one Euroleague and domestic championship, as well as two Greek Cups. The Turkish coach from Panathinaikos leaves after a bad season, in which he was defeated in the final of the domestic championship, while he was eliminated from the Euroleague by Valencia in the quarterfinals.
This will be the first appointment for the Serbian coach after he resigned from Partizan in November 2025.
During his second term in Partizan, Obradović returned the club to the Euroleague, won the ABA League twice and the Basketball League of Serbia twice.
After he announced that he was resigning from the position of coach, Partizan fans organized a welcome for him at the Belgrade airport, as well as protests due to the management's actions in that situation.
By returning to Athens, Obradović returns to the club where he achieved the greatest success in his career and with which he will try to win the tenth Euroleague title.
Source: Sportklub
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