Ergin Ataman : I think Sarp will wear the Efes jersey…

Tonight, at 6.30 p.m., Ergin Ataman will return to Istanbul to face ‘his’ Efes as coach of Panathinaikos.

A long and resoundingly successful marriage that cannot be forgotten. Even for the Turkish coach’s already ‘iconic’ son, Sarp: ‘I’m trying to convince Sarp on the sidelines, at least with the white jersey, in a neutral way, but he has a great loyalty to Anadolu Efes. He spent five years in the Efes locker room and in the end he is not a professional. Today I think he will wear the Efes jersey…’.

Ataman does not seem to have much influence (we are joking, of course) on his little son: ‘You know I am a good Galatasaray fan, but we have not managed to make Sarp a Galatasaray fan. He prefers Beşiktaş. I tell him: ‘One day, when I stop coaching, maybe we will run for the presidency of Galatasaray’, but he says: ‘No, I am from Beşiktaş'”.

Young Sarp made headlines a couple of years ago. Ergin Ataman revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport: ‘Yes, Sarp is 11 years old and part of the staff. He knows everything about the locker room. He follows me everywhere and reports on games. The Euroleague Coaches’ Association invited him to join the Coaches’ Academy and he will start the course soon. In the meantime he has also prepared something for me on Milan…’.