In the aftermath of Monday’s intense Athenian basketball derby, which saw Olympiacos clinch a 94-101 victory, Panathinaikos has reportedly escalated their rivalry by requesting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to revoke the Greek passport of Thomas Walkup. Walkup, a naturalized point guard for Olympiacos, was granted his Greek citizenship in 2023. This significant development was brought to light by local media outlets on Tuesday.
Panathinaikos, often referred to as “the Greens,” has presented several key arguments to justify their demand. They claim that Walkup has not contributed to the Greek national team winning any titles and has not represented the country since 2024. They further highlighted that Walkup was not selected for this summer’s Euro competition, as his naturalized teammate, Tyler Dorsey, had already secured a spot on the squad.
This escalating off-court dispute is believed to be the underlying reason for Ergin Ataman’s impassioned outburst during the post-game press conference. Predictably, the Piraeus club, Olympiacos, wasted no time in responding to the Turkish coach’s side. They took to social media, sharing photographs of Walkup and former teammate Sasha Vezenkov undertaking their military service with the Greek army, implicitly showcasing their commitment to the nation. Olympiacos also directly challenged Panathinaikos’s owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, to produce a similar photo of his own military service, further fueling the heated rivalry between the two Greek basketball giants.
