Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman is never shy about speaking his mind, but his latest comments may have sparked one of the most heated debates in basketball this summer. Speaking on the perceived gap between NBA and EuroLeague teams, Ataman boldly claimed that most EuroLeague squads could defeat NBA teams, especially if an NBA roster is missing its biggest star.
“I told people these things, if you took out one star player from these NBA teams, I believe that many EuroLeague teams can beat the NBA teams. Listen, I believe that two years or three years ago, in the pre-season, there were many games between the EuroLeague teams and NBA teams.”
“If I’m not wrong, 70 or 80% of the games, the EuroLeague teams won. There is no big difference between the NBA teams and between the EuroLeague teams.”
“With all due respect with the NBA, they have many star players, they are really star players, like LeBron, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and most of them if you took out one of them, a lot of EuroLeague teams would win.”
Now, with all due respect to the coach, this argument is shaky at best. For one, leaning on preseason games as evidence is a reach. The NBA preseason is notoriously meaningless, with stars barely playing, starters resting, and coaches experimenting with rotations. Claiming EuroLeague dominance off preseason scrimmages is like bragging about winning a pickup game at the local YMCA.
And Ataman’s own logic exposes the flaw. He admits NBA stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are “really star players,” but then suggests that if you take them out, EuroLeague teams could win.
Well, yes, of course, the stars make the difference. That’s the point. The NBA is the home of the best players in the world, which is why Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and countless other European stars all chose the NBA as their ultimate proving ground.
Every single NBA roster is loaded with talent that EuroLeague teams simply cannot match. Even fringe NBA rotation players, the eighth or ninth man off the bench, would likely start for most top European clubs.
Aside from maybe two or three bottom-dwelling lottery teams, every NBA franchise could comfortably handle the very best Europe has to offer. Ataman might want to believe otherwise, but the evidence doesn’t support his claim.
The idea that EuroLeague teams are close is misleading. Sure, the top European clubs play a beautiful, tactical style of basketball, and yes, they occasionally push NBA teams in exhibitions.
But over a real, competitive series, the depth, athleticism, and shot-making of NBA squads would overwhelm them. The “best” EuroLeague teams might be lucky to steal a game, but a seven-game series? Forget about it.
Ataman’s comments echo the debate sparked in 2023 by track star Noah Lyles, who mocked the NBA for calling its champions “world champions.”
The reality is that the NBA earns that distinction not because of branding, but because it is the world’s best league. It houses the best players, pays the biggest salaries, and attracts the elite talent from every corner of the globe.
In the future, with Adam Silver hinting at NBA Europe or a possible Super League, fans may finally get the definitive answer when NBA teams officially face European clubs in meaningful competition. Until then, though, comments like Ataman’s sound more like bravado than reality.
Because if and when those games happen, NBA teams will almost certainly rip through EuroLeague squads, and the “world champions” debate will be settled on the court once and for all.
