Arrogant Ergin Ataman infuriates all of Serbia with a single statement!

Pulse Sports Team 21:12 - 06 July 2026

It seems Ergin Ataman is still smarting from being replaced by the legendary Željko Obradović on the Panathinaikos bench, once again revealing his true colors through comments about the Serbian national team.

Turkey concluded the first phase of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers undefeated, after securing a 95-72 victory over Switzerland on home soil.

Following the game, head coach Ergin Ataman addressed the media, congratulating his team before taking a jab at Serbia, who were in the same group as Turkey.

As you know, our NBA players couldn't participate in the winter window games. Ömer and Sertaç, our two big men, did incredibly important work in those matches, especially in the win against Serbia. The victory over Serbia is very significant. I mean, Serbians today see themselves at the pinnacle of world basketball, but no, they're not there.Ergin Ataman

He further added that his team had defeated Serbia at the European Championship, even with Nikola Jokić in their lineup.

We beat Jokić's team at the European Championship; with that loss, we eliminated the biggest favorite. We defeated Serbia twice in the group stage and, with 6 wins, we surpassed them in the group. This is a huge success for Turkish basketball. Let them continue to think they are at the top; we are the ones at the top.Ergin Ataman

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