K.C. Rivers reflected on his career in an exclusive interview with BasketVoice.gr, focusing particularly on his two seasons with Panathinaikos. The former forward discussed his relationship with the club and its fans, his falling-out with Dimitris Giannakopoulos, financial issues surrounding his departure, and his memories of Luka Doncic and the NBA opportunity that never came.
When you hear the word “Panathinaikos” today, what is the first memory or feeling that comes to mind?
“When I hear the name Panathinaikos, the first thing I think about is the fans! The excitement. The history of the Giannakopoulos family, from the father and uncle to the son. Panathinaikos is a family to me. From my uncle, who played there, to me, who had the same opportunity. The firecrackers, the flares, the connection with thousands of Panathinaikos fans.”
What do you really remember about the famous bus trip back from Istanbul after the elimination against Fenerbahce?
“What I remember most is seeing the sunrise, then the sunset and then another sunrise before we reached Athens. It was very difficult that something like that happened, especially right before the Greek league playoffs. We lost to Fenerbahce, a team that had been built to make that run. They had three years to get it right and that season they finally did it and won the EuroLeague. That trip created a small rift between us and the management because we hadn’t given up. We simply hadn’t been able to overcome one obstacle. If they had given us the same amount of time that Fener had been given, I believe we could have won everything.”
Your departure from Panathinaikos hurt you. What bothered you the most and, if it had been up to you, would you have stayed?
“I was loyal to Panathinaikos. I got injured at a very unfortunate time and then everything changed. The way the fans viewed me changed. Even my relationship with Dimitris (ed. Giannakopoulos) changed. That relationship fell apart very quickly and there was never any reconciliation or anything like that. If it had been my choice, I wanted to stay as long as I could because I felt that I had found a home where I could have stayed for more than two years. It would have been the first time in my career. But a lot happened. From things that weren’t paid to finding myself in a situation I hadn’t signed up for.”
Was there a moment at Real Madrid when you realized that 16-year-old Luka Doncic could become one of the best players in the world?
“I wouldn’t say I knew he would become what he is today. But you could see how gifted he was at such a young age. You could see his confidence growing year after year and how determined he was. He was always like that. I think the fact that he played every day against older and experienced professionals helped him continue to improve and develop.”
You said in the past that your NBA dream was over. Looking back now, is there a “what if,” and do you think you deserved a real opportunity in the NBA?
“With the way the game has evolved and with shooting becoming more and more important, I would say yes. But overall, maybe my game simply wasn’t made for the NBA. I wouldn’t have gone there expecting to become a superstar, but I certainly would have wanted to be an important part of a team. I wasn’t a superstar in Europe either. I would say I was good. But in the end, I ended up where I was meant to be. We can all dream and we can achieve our dreams, but some things simply aren’t meant to happen.”
You said there were things that weren’t paid and that you found yourself in a situation you “hadn’t signed up for.” What exactly did you mean?
“Panathinaikos did not pay me my final salary. Also, after my first season, money was taken from my Greek bank account for taxes, even though I had signed a two-year contract stating that my salary was net and that I was not responsible for paying Greek taxes.
“So there were a lot of things happening behind the scenes that played a role. It’s been a few years and I’ve given interviews where everyone wanted to know what happened. I stayed away from talking about these things because I still had respect for Dimitris. But the truth is the truth.
“Most of the money I had in my Greek bank account was being taken because the taxes weren’t being paid. I’m not trying to portray him as a bad person. But business is business. Right is right and wrong is wrong. And I’ll add one more thing… When I was later playing for different EuroLeague teams, I had to find out whether I could enter Greece because I was afraid I might be arrested because of these issues.”
Did you ever receive an offer from Olympiacos, before or after your time at Panathinaikos?
“Yes. Immediately after my first season with Real Madrid, there was an offer from Olympiacos. It was certainly a very tempting offer. But I had just won everything with Madrid and at that point I was trying to figure out what would happen with my future there.”
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