Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens proprietor Dimitris Giannakopoulos has revealed his bold aim of signing Nikola Jokic, saying he already made a severe try and deliver the Denver Nuggets celebrity to Greece.
“There’s one participant who stays a dream of mine, whom I haven’t signed but, however I’ll signal subsequent yr. It’s Jokic, the perfect participant on the earth,” Giannakopoulos stated on the Euro Insiders podcast.
“Don’t snicker in any respect. If I don’t signal Jokic, I’m not going wherever,” he added.
Giannakopoulos revealed that Panathinaikos approached each Jokic and Denver this yr.
“This yr, I attempted to make a proposal. … Individuals are going to say, ‘OK, now he’s joking’. I did make a really severe proposal this yr, each to his workforce and to him. I received a rejection,” he stated.
He additionally explored shopping for out the remaining portion of Jokic’s contract, however Denver shortly dismissed the likelihood.
“After I requested, he had a sure contract operating. This was his final yr. I attempted to purchase out his final yr. They didn’t even… It took them just a few seconds to say, ‘Who? Greece? The place? What? Bye’ from his workforce,” Giannakopoulos recalled.
“Let’s wait till subsequent yr.”
Signing Jokic would stay extraordinarily troublesome financially. The three-time MVP might turn into eligible for a projected five-year, $359.5 million extension with Denver in 2027 and has indicated that he intends to stay with the Nuggets.
Regardless of these obstacles, Giannakopoulos says he isn’t giving up on his aim of bringing Jokic to Panathinaikos.
He intends to strive once more subsequent yr: https://t.co/3x50omDN9r
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) August 10, 2026
