Dinos Mitoglou spoke to SBS Radio in Australia on the occasion of the 7th “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” Tournament being held in Oceania. The Panathinaikos AKTOR forward/center reflected on the emotions and images that arose upon hearing about this major journey to Australia, explained what made Pavlos Giannakopoulos such a unique figure, and emphasized the organization’s excitement for what lies ahead.

Here are his full remarks:

On his initial reaction when it was announced that the team would travel to Australia for the 7th “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” Tournament:
“Undoubtedly, it is something unique. It’s incredible the places that sport can take you. We are extremely happy and proud that the stature of Panathinaikos and Mr. Pavlos Giannakopoulos is bringing us to Australia. We are, of course, aware of how beautiful the country is and how large the Greek community there is. We are truly delighted to represent Panathinaikos and to have the opportunity to make such a long journey and visit Australia. I’m confident that we are all going to have a wonderful time.”

On last year’s experience at the Panathenaic Stadium during the 6th “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” Tournament: “Last year’s tournament was a one-of-a-kind experience. Especially for the foreign players, as they were truly able to grasp the magnitude of Panathinaikos’ fanbase and the love that the public shows us. Around 40,000 fans were in attendance — a massive crowd. Looking to your right and left, all you saw were people — it was overwhelming. The passion of the crowd was clearly felt. I can say that this upcoming trip, as I mentioned, will be both unique and beautiful. At the same time, having lived and traveled in the U.S., I’ve seen a lot of things, and I’m confident that in Australia we will receive outstanding hospitality and a great deal of warmth. Not just from Panathinaikos supporters, but from the broader Greek community living there. I’ve heard that Australia is a remarkably welcoming country”.

On traveling beyond Europe for the first time with Panathinaikos AKTOR: “I never expected that basketball would take me this far. But I’ve always wanted to travel to Australia and experience it firsthand. As you mentioned, the fact that so many Greeks emigrated from Greece in the 1950s and 1960s is truly remarkable. I know, as I’ve said before, that people who have left Greece often love their homeland even more — because they miss it so deeply. That’s something we will pass on to our foreign teammates. We’ll do everything we can to reciprocate the love we receive”.

On his personal connection to Australia: “I’ll say something I’ve never mentioned before: when I was around two or three years old, my father had the opportunity to move to Australia. We almost moved! In the end, we stayed in Greece”.

On the 7th “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” Tournament: “When I joined Panathinaikos in 2017, I never had the chance to meet him. But you cannot be part of Panathinaikos and not know who he was or have heard the stories. I’ve heard many stories over the years. During my first stint at Panathinaikos, I had teammates like Nick Calathes and Ian Vougioukas, who told me many things about Mr. Pavlos — all of them positive. He lived and breathed for Panathinaikos. He’s the man who expanded the idea and the brand of Panathinaikos. But the most important thing is this: he didn’t just make many kids Panathinaikos supporters — he even made fans of other teams admire and appreciate Panathinaikos. From young children to older generations. That was his greatest achievement. He brought nothing but good to Greek sports. His legacy is enormous”.

On Panathinaikos’ prospects for the upcoming season: “We’ve made some very significant additions, particularly in terms of our Greek core. Panathinaikos has elevated its level in recent years. We’re very happy and excited about the new season, and we’re ready to give it our all. As you can see, the EuroLeague is starting to resemble a mini-NBA. Budgets have risen significantly, and the number of games has increased. I believe the EuroLeague has become far more competitive compared to three or four years ago. It’s risen by at least one or two levels. That’s a great development for European basketball.
The EuroLeague is extremely demanding. When all the teams are strengthening their rosters and improving, we had to do the same. There’s no such thing as an easy game in the EuroLeague”.