Mathias Lessort evaluates Kostas Sloukas move to Panathinaikos / News - Basketnews.com

Lessort thinks signing Sloukas is a great move for PAO that will help both the team and him personally. The big man didn't guarantee he'd have the same bond with Panathinaikos fans as he did with Partizan ultras.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis, Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic Credit Vangelis Stolis, Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic

Mathias Lessort is one of the big signings Panathinaikos Athens made this offseason. However, none of them was bigger than the addition of Kostas Sloukas, snagging the veteran point guard from the rival camp of Olympiacos Piraeus.

Kostas Sloukas

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

The French center is now participating in the Georgios Printezis' Aegeanball Festival in Syros. The day after the move that was sometimes called the heist of the decade, the now-former Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade big man shared his thoughts about it.

"Obviously, it's a great thing. He's one of the best point guards in the game. It's a great signing for us, I'm looking forward to playing with him. I know he will help me a lot in my development of the game and he will help the team a lot to win," he said to Cosmote TV during the event.

"It's a great thing for us," Lessort continued. "He's proven that he's a winner, he's one of the players who's been in the Final Four 6 times - I don't know how many times - in the last years. It's a great thing for us signing him."

The new Panathinaikos team will be coached by two-time EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman who's known for bold claims, one of which he made after the addition of Sloukas.

"He's a great coach, [he's] the most successful coach in the last five years. He's a guy who knows how to win," Lessort said about Ataman. "He's come here hungry for a new challenge and I'm looking forward to helping him succeed in this challenge."

Lessort was known in Belgrade for his tremendous bond with Partizan fans. He even participated in a wedding as best man. It came naturally, he says. Establishing the same rapport will take time.

"This I cannot tell you," he said when asked whether he's going to have the same bond with Panathinaikos fans. "I didn't come to Serbia thinking I would have a great bond with the fans, it just happened with the time. I just go out there, play as hard as I can, and be myself. I hope they will like me but I cannot tell you that I'll have the same bond, it has to come naturally."

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