Carlik Jones opens up on turning down Panathinaikos: 'I had an offer...'

"I was chasing the dream and I knew I belonged in the NBA. My agent kept telling me people were still talking about me, that I just needed to keep working and another opportunity would come. I got waived three times. In Chicago, the entire team was shocked when they let me go; I couldn't believe it myself. I went back to the G League determined to win MVP, and I did. Chicago signed me again, but I didn't get much playing time and was waived once more in the preseason. They were loaded with guards—Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter, Ayo Dosunmu. I felt I could give them 15 solid minutes, but at the end of the day, a guy making $1.5 million isn't getting minutes over guys on $20 million contracts. They cut me the day before the regular season started, which left me with no time to sign elsewhere."

"When I went to China, I made sure I had an NBA out clause to keep that door open. Honestly, I had offers from Europe, specifically from Panathinaikos. I talked through my European options with my agent, but I didn't really understand how things worked over there. When he explained that the European season lasts ten months, I immediately said no way. On top of that, my girlfriend was pregnant. I couldn't afford to stay in the G League waiting on a call that might never come. I had to go make real money, and China offered that. Plus, if an NBA team called, I could easily head back. I was starting a family, so going to China was strictly a business decision. I signed a one-year deal for a five-month season with one-week breaks that allowed me to fly home. They also gave me three days off when my girlfriend went into labor. That felt too short, and I even texted my agent asking to leave. The club treated me great, but I was out there alone while my pregnant girlfriend was across the world, and nobody spoke English. But once that paycheck hit, you made it work. The real issue was that she didn't give birth during those three days I had off. I argued with the front office, telling them it was my first child and there was no way I was missing my son's birth. I told them they could fine me if they wanted, but they ended up understanding. I flew back afterward and played in the playoffs. Being in China was tough, mostly because of the pregnancy. I felt awful leaving when she was three months pregnant and only returning for the delivery. I missed everything, and leaving her alone weighed heavily on me. She didn't want me to go, but basketball is my job, and I had to provide for our family. Taking her with me wasn't an option either—I wouldn't have known how to handle a pregnancy over there. We only had one translator assigned to me, I wouldn't have known how to navigate the hospitals, and I wasn't comfortable with foreign doctors at the time since I didn't know the healthcare system. She understood the situation, and I'm deeply grateful to her—she's an incredible fighter."

"I didn't know what to expect at first. As soon as Partizan reached out, I Googled their games and the atmosphere, and the moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to play there. My agent mentioned that Željko wanted me, and my immediate reaction was, 'Who?' When we spoke, he laid out his expectations clearly and told me to just come and be myself. He understood my goal of returning to the NBA, but I made it clear that if I committed, I was all-in playing for him. If the NBA happens, it happens. It also helped that I was already familiar with Duane Washington, Sterling Brown, and Frank Ntilikina, so I knew we had a solid core. After hanging up with Željko, I looked up his résumé and immediately thought, 'Yeah, this is a no-brainer.' It became an easy decision."

"The first game of the season really left a huge impression on me—actually, that open-air preseason game against Panathinaikos. I looked around thinking, 'What in the world is this?' There were 40,000 people there... After that came our first official home game in the ABA League, and the arena was completely sold out. Keep in mind, the roster was brand new, and the fans barely knew any of us yet. The coaching staff even told us they had never seen a crowd that big for a season opener. I checked in off the bench, we hit a three, and the arena just erupted. I thought to myself, 'There's no way it stays this wild.' But every game after that was even louder. I also realized how knowledgeable and passionate the people here are about basketball. While exploring Belgrade early on, I was driving with my windows down and stopped at a red light. I looked over and a guy on a motorbike took off his helmet and yelled, 'You're Carlik Jones!' At that point, I hadn't even played an official game yet. Sure, they might have recognized me from the Olympics, but it blew me away. I had only been in town for two days. I'd walk into a grocery store and people would recognize me; at restaurants, staff would tell me my next meal was on the house. The passion here is unmatched."

"It didn't bother me at all—I'm used to it by now. This is my third year in Europe and I've seen just about everything. Laser pointers during free throws... In a Cup game, I was at the line for two game-winning free throws down by one. As I took the first shot, a lighter flew right past my face, and I missed. We complained to the referees, but nothing happened. Ever since, I've been ready for anything. I'm numb to the bottles and coins raining down. It's crazy. Fans on both sides do it, but I don't think they realize the danger. Imagine hitting an innocent bystander or injuring a player on your own team. They're just overcome with emotion and throw whatever is in their hands. That derby was different, though—they were throwing flares at each other. I just thought, 'Aren't those burning hot?'"

"I can't speak on all of it because I was sidelined with an injury and on crutches, so I wasn't around the group as much. From what I observed, the team spirit stayed positive. The guys were frustrated by the losing streak, but there was no animosity among us. Željko was his usual self, too—naturally angry about the slump, because that's who he is, but nothing out of the ordinary stood out. I don't fully understand where things went wrong. Afterwards, the supporters turned on us. Some fans even showed up at practice and broke into the facility. We genuinely feared for our safety; we went into the weight room to grab dumbbells just in case we needed to protect ourselves. We didn't want any trouble, but we felt we had to be ready to defend ourselves. There were thousands of them outside, and they smashed a window. I was on the other side of things. Whenever fans saw me, they wished me a speedy recovery, but my teammates didn't get that same treatment. I can only imagine what they had to endure."

"The crowd booed us during the Bayern Munich game. Bayern would hit a three and our fans would cheer; we'd hit a three and get booed. It was one of the strangest things I've ever experienced. I get the emotion behind it, but at the same time, it made no sense. I know how much the fans adore Željko, but we didn't force him out. He decided to step down. Seeing everything circulating on social media made me furious—until I spoke with Željko directly. I'll keep the details of our conversation private, but talking to him gave me total clarity. It was a brutal period, especially for the guys out on the floor. Despite the hostile environment created by the fans, those players showed up to practice every single day and gave everything on game nights. They handled the situation like true professionals. A legendary coach walked away, everyone had an opinion, but very few people actually knew the full truth. I don't have all the answers either. People picked sides and dug their heels in."

"I never imagined I'd receive this much love over here. I live for derby matchups, whether at home or on the road—especially away from home. I love silencing the crowd. To be clear, I respect Red Star fans, and they show me respect too. They'll stop me on the street and say, 'I support Zvezda, but I love watching you play.' I respect their loyalty to their club. I don't harbor any hate toward their players either. They're not my best friends, but there's no bad blood. I respect them—they have their own journey, and they're ballers just like us. I embrace the derby and the rivalry. The sheer passion involved is incredible. Winning at home is great, but winning in their gym is even sweeter. There's nothing like taking a packed arena out of the game until the only sound left is your thousand traveling fans going crazy."