Athens is Željko's City, and It's Time to Remind Everyone

Athens is set to ignite its basketball season on September 18th and 19th with the traditional "Pavlos Giannakopoulos" tournament. Hosted by Panathinaikos at their OAKA Arena, the event will feature Partizan, PAOK, and Burg. This tournament serves as the perfect prelude to the European elite basketball season, which tips off next week.

It's the perfect stage because, beyond the ceremonial introductions earlier this summer, a legendary figure will once again grace the OAKA court. From 1999 to 2012, this man penned Athens' basketball mythology, securing his immortality in the sport's beautiful history. He'll be back courtside, in his familiar suit.

This Friday, Athens will revert to that unique mode where basketball is the city's pulse. Fans won't waste time waiting for the official season to begin; they'll seize this opportunity to express their gratitude and make it clear to Obradović and everyone else just how much his return means to them.

Even from his initial welcome, it was evident that for them, this story continues as if he never left. This tournament serves as a dress rehearsal for the four teams, offering coaches a chance to assess their summer work and fine-tune their squads before official matches. More importantly, it's a chance to loudly proclaim – he's back.

For fans in Serbia, a different anticipation brews – the eventual reunion with their Belgrade black-and-whites, the team they believe belongs to Željko more than anyone else, and that he, in turn, belongs to them. But we won't delve into that now.

Tonight in Athens, the city's basketball history continues to be written, picking up exactly where it left off in 2012.

VIDEO Željko Obradović arrives at the promotion!