Pitino announces Panathinaikos departure
On his official Twitter page, Rick Pitino has announced that he won’t return to Panathinaikos BC, having managed the Athenians for the second half of the 2018/2019 season.
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In late December, Pitino was hired to replace Xavi Pascual at the Panathinaikos helm, with the Greens struggling to make the EuroLeague playoffs. After receiving the job, the 66-year-old American greatly improved Panathinaikos’ fortunes, steering the club to a sixth-placed finish in the EuroLeague regular season and winning the Greek Cup.
Panathinaikos were swept by Real Madrid in the EuroLeague quarter-finals, but in the Basket League, they defeated Promitheas 3:0 in the final series to retain the crown.
During interviews, the popular Pitino had refused to rule out the possibility of returning to Athens for the 2019/2020 campaign, but on Friday afternoon, he confirmed that he has permanently left Panathinaikos:
ESPN Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, suggested that Pitino is searching for a role in the NBA instead:
Pitino, a college basketball legend in the USA, last coached in the NBA with the Boston Celtics between 1997 and 2001.
It is not yet known who will replace Pitino as the head coach of Panathinaikos.
