Kostas Sloukas is Panathinaikos gain, but not necessarily Olympiacos loss / News - Basketnews.com

Kostas Sloukas' move from Olympiacos to Panathinaikos has raised a lot of controversy. BasketNews looks at how both sides handled his case, the expectations on the Greens' camp, and how the Greek guard came to make the most important decision in his career.

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In late January 2022, Olympiacos Piraeus were playing AEK on the road for the Greek league.

Kostas Sloukas

Position:PGAge:33Height:190 cmWeight:95 kgBirth place:Thessaloniki, GreeceProfileNewsStatistics

The absences of Shaquielle McKissick, Kostas Papanikolaou, Sasha Vezenkov, and Giorgos Printezis were of huge importance, and the short-handed squad was with its back against the wall, as the home side played with tenacity and had Andy Rautins pull off a career performance.

In the third quarter, AEK led by as many as 15 points, and the Reds were close to an unexpected loss, which could harm their chances of getting the home-court advantage in the playoffs.

That's where Kostas Sloukas came in. The Greek guard led Olympiacos to an 18-0 run in four minutes, while he stayed on the court for 32, scoring 23 points and handing out 11 assists. The guests won 80-74 and, quite predictably, after the match, coach Giorgos Bartzokas was asked whether Sloukas was Olympiacos' leader.

"These are journalistic tricks," he responded, brushing the question aside. "What I can say is that Sloukas is an amazing player and that he will help us in the games to come."

That reaction was the beginning of a series of public statements made by Bartzokas, which the player considered derogatory about his contribution and the role he believed he should have on the team.

And when negotiations with the Reds came to a stalemate, PAO emerged with a new phone call. From that point on, there was no turning back as Panathinaikos increased its financial offer to

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