Giannakopoulos slams Andrews, reveals exchange he had with him / News - Basketnews.com

Dimitris Giannakopoulos gave his take on Andrew Andrews' feud with Panathinaikos, arguing that the American guard said he wanted to revenge on the people who brought him to the team.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Panathinaikos Athens and Andrew Andrews have considerable ground to cover until the American guard agrees to the termination of his contract that links him to the Greek side until 2024.

Andrew Andrews

Team:Panathinaikos AthensPosition:PGAge:29Height:188 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:Portland, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The player has turned down the release options proposed to him by the club, and thus, keeps occupying one of the seven non-domestic players' spots on the Greens' roster. As a result, Panathinaikos were initially unable to register Marius Grigonis and, with the Greek Cup Final 8 already underway, coach Dejan Radonjic will have to leave either Matt Thomas or Derrick Williams off the squad.

Panathinaikos' owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos addressed the situation via his Instagram account, stressing that the player is blackmailing the club with his attitude.

Giannakopoulos referred to the background of the story and gave his point of view on why the player hasn't been released yet.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

"We saw at the beginning that Andrews didn't fit. We told him to look for a team and that we could find one for him. He's getting paid in full like everyone else. He has refused all 4-5 proposals, including the one from Venezia," Giannakopoulos claimed.

The Greek businessman said Andrews insists that the club let him play in the EuroLeague, otherwise he's not willing to sign his release papers. He also emphasized that in order for a player to be substituted by someone else in the Greek league, the athlete himself has to accept the change.

"So he's blackmailing [us]," Giannakopoulos accused the American guard.

"A team can have as many players as it wants and as many registered players as it is allowed to have," he added.

"It is the coach's inalienable right to decide which athlete to use. We offered him to take all his money in advance and leave, but nothing happened," Giannakopoulos continued, adding that Andrews allegedly told the club that he was going to "sit here and revenge on those who brought me here and don't put me to play."

Credit Vangelis Stolis

"I called him into my office, and told him he was right about everything, and that we shouldn't have brought him in," Giannakopoulos conceded and revealed his words to the player:

"We have made you sad and I apologize on behalf of everyone at the club. Take all your money and go."

However, according to PAO's owner, the former EuroCup standout replied, "Thank you. I respect that, but I'm not leaving."

It seems that a few more episodes will be added to the ongoing saga.

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.