By Bill Roumeliotis
The second and final stop of Panathinaikos BC President Vasilis Parthenopoulos’ recent trip to Australia was Melbourne, Victoria, where he spoke about how the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament will be held outside of Europe for the first time.
Mr Parthenopoulos is in Australia ahead of the historic tournament where Panathinaikos and Partizan KK will take on NBL Giants Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers from 18-22 September 2025.
On Thursday, May 15, Mr Parthenopoulos was hosted by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) at the Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street, where he met with President Bill Papastergiadis.
During the event, Mr Parthenopoulos spoke with The Greek Herald.
Aside from the friendly match against Partizan on September 18, what other activities will Panathinaikos be involved in while in Melbourne?
On September 18, Panathinaikos will face Partizan Belgrade in a friendly match at John Cain Arena. As far as I know, the NBL Australia, in collaboration with Greek community organisations, is preparing various events, but we don’t yet have full details.
Will Panathinaikos travel to Australia with all of its stars?
Of course. The team will travel at full strength, unless there are any injuries that prevent certain players from joining.
In recent weeks there have been rumours that Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos is preparing a major signing involving an NBA player. If true, will this player travel to Australia with the team?
There’s a lot of talk, and we are indeed in discussions with some top basketball names. Beyond that, I don’t have more information. But when Mr Giannakopoulos says something, he means it and makes it happen. So, if it goes through, I believe the player in question will be part of the team traveling to Australia.
In about two weeks, Panathinaikos will compete in the EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi, aiming for its 8th European title. If they win, will the trophy come to Australia?
Our big goal is our eighth star — winning the EuroLeague title. And if we succeed, yes, there’s a possibility we’ll bring the championship trophy with us to Australia.
Recently there have been rumours of teams leaving the EuroLeague, including Panathinaikos and Real Madrid. Is there any truth to this?
First of all, Panathinaikos has signed a 10-year participation contract, so we are continuing in the EuroLeague. It’s true that there are voices from other top clubs as well, but nothing more than that. So we remain in Europe’s top competition.
In closing, Mr Parthenopoulos added that talk of creating a “European NBA” or other new leagues is just speculation and rumours — nothing concrete at this stage.
