The basketball derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, which Panathinaikos won 68-58, was overshadowed by unsportsmanlike conduct and a highly charged atmosphere. Nigel Hayes-Davis was the top scorer for Panathinaikos with 23 points, while Evan Fournier contributed 15 for Olympiacos.
The match was marred by offensive chants from the stands and a four-minute interruption late in the second quarter. According to the official match report, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, the owner of Panathinaikos, approached the referees in a threatening manner, gesturing wildly. Standing less than two meters away, he reportedly shouted, “You don’t call a technical foul on Bartzokas, you’re licking him, go to hell!”
Following this incident, the game was suspended for four minutes. The referees immediately contacted the commissioner, and Giannakopoulos was ordered to leave the playing area. A warning was also issued that any further incursions onto the court would result in the game being permanently stopped.
Olympiacos has officially protested the incident to the Greek League’s sports judge. They are seeking a two-year ban for the venue, a fine of 100,000 euros for Dimitris Giannakopoulos, and an additional fine of the same amount for the club.
Meanwhile, Dimitris Giannakopoulos took to social media to demand a sanction against Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas. Panathinaikos, in turn, released a video purportedly showing Bartzokas insulting the team manager, Savvas Aronis, after the game. Panathinaikos has also filed an official protest, requesting a suspension for Bartzokas in Game 3 and sanctions against Olympiacos’ general manager, Nikos Lepeniotis.
This is the state of Greek basketball.
