Panathinaikos Owner Tried to Lure Jokic to Greek Giant

If Panathinaikos basketball owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos had his way, Nikola Jokic would be playing for his team next season, Reuters reports.

Giannakopoulos, whose net worth is estimated between $500 million and $1.9 billion, revealed on the EuroInsiders podcast that he offered to buy out Jokic's contract from the Denver Nuggets and bring him to Athens.

“People will say, ‘Okay, he’s joking,’” Giannakopoulos stated, adding, “This year, I made a very serious offer, both to his team and to him personally. I was rejected. I know he has one more year on his contract.”

Technically, Nikola Jokic has two years remaining on his commitment with Denver. He is set to earn $59,033,114 this season and $62,841,702 next season, though the 2027/2028 season is a player option for Jokic.

“I tried to buy out his last year. It took them a few seconds to say, ‘Who? Greece? Where? What? Bye.’ But… let’s wait until next year,” the Panathinaikos boss added.

The 31-year-old Serbian basketball player has spent all 11 of his NBA seasons to date with the Nuggets, averaging 22.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while leading the franchise to its sole championship title in the 2022/2023 season.

Last year in the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished with a 22-16 record, placing seventh out of 20 teams, and lost to Valencia in the first round of the playoffs.