May 19, 2013
 
50 YEARS CELEBRATION IN ATHENS, GREECE
PanatDejan Bodiroga, Euroleague CEO Jodi Bertomeu, Panathinaikos President Pavlos Giannakopoulos, Fragiskos Alvertis and Zeljco Obradovic
Honoring the Greens
Another special recognition within Euroleague Basketball's season-long 50 Years of European Club Competitions celebration took place in Athens, Greece on October 24, 2007, as select members of Panathinaikos team that won Euroleague titles in 2000 and 2002 were honored. The three most representative faces of that team, head coach Zeljko Obradovic, superstar Dejan Bodiroga and team captain Fragiskos Alvertis joined Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu in a pre-game ceremony, where they received plaques recognizing their contributions to European basketball. Obradovic won his fourth continental trophy, Alvertis his second and Bodiroga his first when Panathinaikos beat Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 73-67 in the 2000 title game in Thessaloniki, Greece, behind 20 points from Zeljko Rebraca and 17 from Oded Katash against his former team. A young Antonis Fotsis also added 9 key points off the bench. Two years later, all three of Wednesday's honorees lifted another Euroleague trophy - and Obradovic set a record for coaches with his fifth title - as Panathinaikos defeated Kinder 83-89 in the 2002 Final on the latter's home floor in Bologna, Italy. Bodiroga earned MVP honors with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Ibrahim Kutluay led the winners with 22 points and became the first-ever Turkish player to win the continental title. Lazaros Papadopoulos added 12, Alvertis 11 and Darryl Middleton 10. Together, team and coach earned a place in European basketball history and recognition for their outstanding contributions to the sport.
Panathinaikos lifts 2002 trophy
PANATHINAIKOS CHAMPS

HISTORIC VIDEOS
2007 FINAL FOUR VIDEOS
2002 FINAL FOUR VIDEOS

INTERVIEW: JOHNNY ROGERS
Johnny Rogers
Having won the Euroleague title with Panathinaikos in both 2000 and 2002, Johnn Rogers knows everything about why his former coach Zeljko Obradovic and teammates Fragiskos Alvertis and Dejan Bodiroga should be honored. The current general manager for Pamesa Valencia in Spain talked with Euroleague.net about those title teams and his experiences with historical figures in European basketball. "A lot of teams talk about family, but the situation in Panathinaikos is really that way, with their fans. When you play there, the experience is so intense, it leaves a permanent mark. Just the passion people there have for our sport does that."