Panathinaikos owner on Jokic: "I'm not joking — I'll sign him next year!"
Dimitris Giannakopoulos says the club sent a serious proposal for Nikola Jokic despite the center being under contract with the Denver Nuggets.
Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos confirmed that the Greek club tried to recruit Nikola Jokic and even submitted a serious offer to the three‑time NBA MVP, a revelation made on 10.08.2026 21:45.
Giannakopoulos acknowledged that Jokic is under contract with the Denver Nuggets and that a move to Europe currently looks almost unimaginable, yet he described the Serbian center as his next major target and said the club had pursued him.
"The player I dream about, and still haven't signed, I'll sign next year. The problem is that I already have three players with three‑year contracts at that position. Where will he play? I thought about it last night. We have Yabusele, Lessort, Fall, fantastic. Where will he fit? That's Jokic. The best player in the world," Giannakopoulos told Euroinsiders.
The roster puzzle
Panathinaikos already lists several established big men on its roster — Gershon Yabusele, Mathias Lessort and Mustafa Fall — each tied to multi‑year deals. That reality, Giannakopoulos said, does not stop him from dreaming of one transformational signing.
He insisted the approach was serious. "Don't laugh at all. If I don't bring Jokic, I'm not going anywhere. This year I tried to make an offer. Call Misko Raznatovic and ask him. People will say I'm joking, but this year I made a very serious offer, both to his team and to him. It was rejected," the Panathinaikos chief said, underlining that the overture had been turned down.
Photo: Denver Nuggets (X)
