Panathinaikos hosted fellow EuroLeague teams Partizan, Efes and Maccabi at the Panathenaic Stadium
A night to remember: 42,000 in attendance for a preseason tournament in Athens
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Last weekend saw one of the most impressive events in the recent history of European basketball.
On Saturday, September 21, a preseason tournament organized by Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens – named the Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament – was held at the Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and was first constructed around the year 330 BC. Alongside the Greens, fellow Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv also featured.
Some 42,000 fans embarked upon Athens' most famous arena for a fun-filled day of basketball. Even the players themselves were in shock at the beauty of the Panathenaic Stadium and the fact that they could play in front of an audience like this – and even more so in an outdoor setting.
Efes and Maccabi were the first to get a taste of the atmosphere, with everyone being ever so quick to get out their mobile phones and record footage of what they were seeing. They knew that this is something they may not get to experience again. Efes went on to win the game 89-66, with Elijah Bryant netting a game-high 16 points. Ercan Osmani and Dan Oturu had 14 points apiece for Efes, while Jaylen Hoard was Maccabi's leading scorer with 14.
Later that night, it was the turn of the home team Panathinaikos to take center stage. The reigning EuroLeague champion received a warm reception from the crowd as the players and coaches made their way onto the court, as did former Greens boss Zeljko Obradovic, who won five EuroLeague titles while at OAKA and now coaches Partizan. Although Kendrick Nunn scored 16 points, more than anyone else, Partizan grabbed a 64-75 victory on the back of 13 points by Duane Washington and 12 by Brandon Davies.
Despite the impressive performances on the court, the real stars of the show were the fans. Partizan hosted a stunning outdoor event during preseason last year, but as several players were insisting after the Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament, hopefully this will not be the last time we see something like this.