Obradovic: Coaches Must Be an Example for All

“Zoc” sits in front of the Novasport cameras, one day before the start of the new EuroLeague season, and the first question does not come from the court but from a decade back. The reporter asks about Piraeus, about Olympiacos, about the years of animosity that have marked Greek basketball since he arrived in Athens. Zeljko Obradovic does not shy away from the topic.

The Panathinaikos coach, speaking to Greek broadcaster Novasport, responded to an initiative from Georgios Bartzokas, the Olympiacos strategist, who had earlier called for better relations between the country’s two biggest clubs. Obradovic accepted the call and compared the Panathinaikos-Olympiacos rivalry to something he knows well from his own career.

Listen, throughout all these years, counting the 13 I have spent here, but also during my time in Belgrade, where the Partizan-Red Star derby has a lot in common with the Panathinaikos-Olympiacos duels, I have always tried to do exactly that. And I will keep trying with all my strength. That is the kind of relationship I have with Georgios Bartzokas. He said it, and I will repeat it.

Obradovic told Novasport, adding what instantly became the quote of the day:

Coaches must be an example for everyone. Let it just be a basketball game. Sport.

The same message, quoted from the same Novasport interview, was also carried by Sportklub and Srbija Danas. None of the three outlets mention a press conference or a separate appearance in Athens, it is one and the same interview, simply retold in three different places.

The most decorated coach in European basketball did not stop at the appeal. He also touched on the quality of the rival club, offering praise that is not typical from a coach of his caliber.

They were a very good team last year, as they were in all the previous years. They have continuity as a team with him on the bench. That is a huge advantage. I would like everyone to go down that road. Not just coaches, but players too. Anyone who can help in this situation is welcome. That is the best way.

Obradovic said of Olympiacos, according to Mondo. The message did not stop at the clash between the two clubs, he broadened it to the entire Greek league, which in recent seasons has also produced two strong teams from Thessaloniki.

Let’s try to calm people down. The Greek championship has not had the quality it has now for years, now that we also have two strong teams from Thessaloniki. That is good for basketball. Let’s talk about that. Let’s have a healthy atmosphere in every arena we visit. At the end of the day, it is just basketball.

He closed on a philosophical note, one familiar to anyone who followed his years in Belgrade.

As I always say, we need to understand that we should be healthy and that we only have one life. Let’s enjoy life, let’s talk about positive things, let’s respect people, and let’s do everything we can to show the world how much respect we have for one another.

Panathinaikos open the new EuroLeague season against Paris, at the OAKA arena, where they will play seven of their first eight rounds. The only road trip for the Greens in that stretch is a duel with Partizan in Belgrade on October 13, a game that will carry extra weight after everything that has been said.

On the same day Obradovic spoke about peace, Olympiacos travel to the EuroLeague Super Cup in Abu Dhabi, where, alongside hosts Dubai, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce will also take part. Georgios Bartzokas thus enters the season with an extra competition on the calendar, while Obradovic prepares his team for the opener against Paris.

For now the message is clear from both sides of Athens, the rivalry stays, but tempers should cool before a new chapter begins in a series that has run for decades. Whether that holds up through the season’s first real derby will be decided on the court, not in interviews.