Ergin Ataman gets booed before Barcelona game, shows his iconic gesture / News - Basketnews.com

Ergin Ataman, the head coach of Anadolu Efes, was loudly booed by the fans of FC Barcelona upon his return to the Palau Blaugrana arena.

Credit: EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages Credit EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages

The back-to-back EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman was met with boos upon his return to Palau Blaugrana.

Around 11 minutes before the game, FC Barcelona fans whistled the Anadolu Efes head coach as soon as he appeared on the court.

As he made his way to the bench, Ataman held up two fingers, reminding the Catalan fans that he returned as a two-time champion. He did this intentionally and was smiling.

The last time Ataman visited Palau Blaugrana, he was ejected from the game. On his way to the locker room, he taunted the Barcelona fans by holding his fists up and shouting, "I won the cup."

However, before the Round 19 game in Barcelona, Ataman clarified that he did not intend to offend anyone.

"I apologize if someone misunderstood me [regarding the incident] with the Barca fans," Ataman said to Marc Mundet from RAC1. "I didn't say any bad words or insults. A disqualified coach gets emotional, but I'm happy because now I'm back with two EuroLeague titles."

"I was very nervous. I wanted to send a strong message to my team, fans, and referees. Palau Blaugrana was charging against them. They played their game. They showed the emotions... but we won [the title]," Ataman concluded.

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