Papagiannis after leaving Panathinaikos: 'I hope our paths meet again' / News - Basketnews.com

Papagiannis said he never hid from tough moments during his Panathinaikos years and thanked the organization for the seasons spent together.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Georgios Papagiannis was one of the symbols of Panathinaikos Athens in recent years. Nevertheless, he left the Greek club and joined Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in a move that was highly questioned by both the fans and the PAO organization itself.

Georgios Papagiannis

Position:CAge:26Height:218 cmWeight:125 kgBirth place:Marousi, GreeceProfileNewsStatistics

Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos accused Papagiannis of backtracking from an agreement with the organization. Later on, Panathinaikos announced they were cutting ties with the player's agent for the foreseeable future.

After all the drama, Papagiannis released a message to Panathinaikos fans and the organization on his Instagram account:

After a 7-year-long stint overall - and 5 years in a row - I made the difficult decision not to continue at Panathinaikos. All these years I have tried to honor the team's jersey, with my presence inside and outside the court, both in good and bad times.

I know some fans were disappointed in me, or even angry. Everyone knows, however, that I stayed there and tried in difficult times, in whatever way I could, sometimes with success and sometimes unsuccessfully. But I've always been there, I never hid myself, I've never backed down in the face of adversity, even if that could have exposed me. I hope people understand my need - after all these years - to choose a new environment for myself. First of all, a big 'thank you' to the president of the team, Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, and to the fans of Panathinaikos for all the years we spent together. My appreciation and love for them is still limitless.

Panathinaikos will have a special place in my heart and I hope our paths meet again.

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