Turkish national team coach Ergin Ataman made headlines in the past weeks for his claims about NBA and he is at it again and this time, he is targeting Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo who is playing for Greece.
Turkey and Greece are set to meet in the semi-finals of EuroBasket 2025 with the former still undefeated. Ataman made controversial remarks recently by saying that NBA champions are not world champions, challenging them to play the champions of European pro leagues.
He is currently busy with the Turkey team and with a finals slot on the line, he is resorting to mind games to get an advantage. Ataman is suggesting that he knows Antetokounmpo’s tendencies and that game officials should look more into the Greek Freak’s physicality for they might warrant an offensive foul call.
“Our focus is not to stop him [Giannis]. [Greece coach Vassilis] Spanoulis is very smart,” Ataman told reporters.
“In the past we talked too much and he learned some strategy from us. Giannis shot 16 free throws against Lithuania, but I saw many many offensive fouls from him in the previous games.”
Ergin Ataman on Giannis Antetokounmpo: “Our focus is not to stop him. Spanoulis is very smart. In the past we talked too much and he learned some strategy from us. Giannis shot 16 free throws against Lithuania, but I saw many many offensive fouls from him in the previous games”. pic.twitter.com/3l9BYlDjiW
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) September 10, 2025
The Alperen Sengun-led Turkey are looking to win their first ever EuroBasket. They haven’t reached the finals since 2001.
Spanoulis defends Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo scored 29 points to lead Greece past Lithuania in the quarterfinals. He collected just three fouls in that game but was fouled many times and took to the free throw line 16 times, converting 11.
Spanoulis thinks Ataman is just playing mind games. He also debunked his take that the Greek Freak should have been called for more offensive fouls and flipped by saying he should have been granted more foul shots.
“I don’t think he is getting away with offensive fouls. They’ve also given him a lot of charges, which were not the right calls,” he said.
“We also saw one against Spain that wasn’t because the defender was inside the semi-circle line, and they called it offensive, and it was very crucial at that moment of the game.”
Greece are looking to reach their first ever EuroBasket finals since 2005 since they won against Germany who are playing in the other bracket against Finland.
Antetokounmpo, who was the top scorer in the last edition, is looking for his first ever medal finish for the national team.
For the latest Basketball Content
Make sure you are always updated on your favorite basketball players and teams. Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for the latest and trending news about NBA, college basketball, and more. Stay updated by reading more of our NBA articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
