One of European basketball’s most talked-about comebacks was completed on Sunday, when Zeljko Obradovic officially signed with Panathinaikos and returned for a second spell after coaching the club from 1999 to 2012. He is coming back to OAKA, where he became nearly mythic in club history.
During his 13 years on the bench, Obradovic guided Panathinaikos to 18 trophies, including five EuroLeague titles. He also owns the record for the most EuroLeague championships by a coach, with nine. Dimitris Itoudis, now the coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, served as Obradovic’s assistant throughout that period before becoming one of Europe’s top coaches himself and winning the EuroLeague twice with CSKA.
Obradovic’s most recent job was at Partizan Belgrade, which he brought back to the EuroLeague after a long absence and coached from 2021. Last season he resigned after a dispute with some players, triggering a major uproar at the Serbian club. Supporters sided with the coach, and the player most associated with the revolt, Tyrique Jones, eventually left for Olympiacos.
Panathinaikos parted ways with Ergin Ataman at the end of the season after three years. The Turkish coach led the team to the EuroLeague title in 2023/24, but since then did not win any other trophy with the club. Obradovic is set to face Olympiacos and Jones in the coming Greek derby.
