Ex-Maccabi Star Schortsanitis Recounts Tensions with Coach Pini Gershon

Former Maccabi Tel Aviv center Sofoklis Schortsanitis, nicknamed "Baby Shaq," has spoken out about his strained relationship with coach Pini Gershon during their time together. Schortsanitis, who played for Maccabi in two successful stints and was part of their 2014 EuroLeague championship team, detailed a specific incident where Gershon asked players to publicly question his coaching ability after a loss. Schortsanitis was the only one to raise his hand, leading to a tense aftermath and advice from his agent to stay home. He also claimed that Gershon's coaching style in Greece, where he coached Olympiacos, was primarily focused on earning money and vacationing, suggesting David Blatt actually ran practices when they were both with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Schortsanitis described practices under Gershon as chaotic, with the coach sometimes disappearing for extended periods while players continued drills.

Schortsanitis also expressed strong negative feelings towards coach Ataman, stating he refused to play for him due to his perceived poor treatment of players. He believed a working relationship would inevitably lead to physical altercations. The former player also addressed a past incident where he chased a Hapoel Tel Aviv fan after a derby, reiterating he would do the same if provoked by similar curses, especially those targeting his family, despite acknowledging it was inappropriate behavior and led to a disciplinary hearing.