By Anadolu Agency
January 23, 2026 8:35 amISTANBUL
The Turkish head coach of Greek basketball team Panathinaikos was insulted before and during a EuroLeague game Thursday in Israel against Israeli side Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv.
Ahead of the match in Tel Aviv, around 300 Maccabi fans who had gathered at the entrance of the arena hurled insults at Ergin Ataman and the Greek club.
Israeli fans continued to chant profanities during the game and after the final whistle as Ataman was heading to the locker room.
Maccabi Rapyd won the EuroLeague Week 24 matchup 75-71.
Saying he was proud of his team’s performance, Ataman criticized the chants, stressing that “this is not basketball.”
“We come here to do our job. If 10,000 people wait in front of the locker room and insult me for 40 minutes, this is not basketball,” he said.
Ataman also said that despite the abuse, referees and officials failed to intervene.
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