Olympiacos GM Nikos Lepeniotis condemned the chaos of Game 3 at OAKA—citing attacks in the tunnel, Ergin Ataman's behavior, objects thrown at players, and court invasions—saying the team "emerged from a jungle alive, victorious, and proud."
Like the rest of the Greek Finals series, Game 3 in Athens was pure chaos.
Olympiacos came out on top, winning 99–88 at OAKA and taking a 2–1 lead in the series.
But the game was marred by three ejections and numerous off-court incidents that further escalated the tension.
After the game, Olympiacos general manager Nikos Lepeniotis made a lengthy post-game statement, expressing both pride in his team and serious concern over what he described as behavior that "set basketball back decades."
His full statement:
"We played in a way that only Olympiacos knows how to play. And of course, nothing is over yet. On Sunday, we must finish the job at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
Unfortunately, I am in the unpleasant position of having to report and denounce a series of incidents that we truly believe have set basketball back decades. Specifically, I want to start with the disrespect shown by Panathinaikos' coach toward our coach.
At the beginning of the game, he refused to accept the opposing team's emblem from our coach, something that has been customary for many years. Regardless of any rivalry, all coaches accept it. And, of course, once again, he was ejected at the end, as we saw, clearly to shift the spotlight onto the losing side.
I would next like to report and denounce a series of incidents that I sincerely hope the authorities have seen and taken note of. Members of our bench staff were attacked during the game—once, even twice.
There were individuals both with and without accreditation who attacked members of our team delegation, and this even occurred in front of the public prosecutor.
The prosecutor himself was so alarmed that at one point he told our staff: 'I might leave too, because I'm scared.'
There was an invasion of season ticket holders who sat courtside. There was an invasion of the court. A sign was thrown at Evan Fournier.
According to the rules, all of this should have led to the suspension of the game. The rules are very clear: the game must be stopped at any attempt by fans to invade the court.
Of course, we expect sports justice—from both the league authorities and the general system governing sports violence, and perhaps even Panathinaikos itself—to identify the individuals who sat there and threw that sign at Fournier. They must assume full responsibility and, of course, be punished accordingly.
We hope that happens and will wait to see what will be done. There are electronic tickets. There are high-tech cameras—it is very easy to identify these people.
We would also like to report that the game should have been stopped officially. There were more than five warnings; I don't know what was written in the game report—I haven't seen it yet—but there were more than five warnings for offensive chants.
According to the regulations, the arena should have been evacuated. That didn't happen.
I believe what happened today took us many years backward. It was truly a jungle—one we emerged from alive, victorious, and proud.
We are very happy and incredibly proud of our players and the heart they showed. On Sunday, we will welcome our great rival, Panathinaikos, with the utmost respect in Faliro, alongside our fans, to play a 40-minute game where the best team will win.
We hope to be the better team and win the championship.
But above all, we want to host our great rival in a great game, as only these two teams know how to play. We are confident that it will be a fantastic match, and naturally, we believe we will win the championship.
Olympiacos fans have been impeccable all season.
Even in the last game, despite all the provocations and absolutely inappropriate events, they showed exceptional composure and unprecedented support for the team. I truly want to thank them.
In the previous game—which was incredibly intense and marked by extraordinary circumstances—not even a napkin was thrown. I personally am very proud of our fans, and we really want the same kind of game on Sunday.
We may lose, we may win. We have nothing to divide, nothing to dispute. What happened today was, for me, shocking. It took us to another era.
It's been a long time—or maybe not that long—but it's been quite a while since we've experienced such things here. It was a jungle.
I'm sure that on Sunday, things will look much better, just like they have all season. The fans will support the team, they will applaud our opponent, and I believe we'll win something extraordinary.
**Question: Mr. Lepeniotis, do you have any insight into what happened in the tunnel?**
Yes, in the tunnel, several fans attacked the coach as the team was leaving for halftime.
They spat at him, threw objects, both at halftime and at the end of the game. In fact, after halftime, I called the prosecutor into the officials' room and informed him that what was happening in the tunnel was unacceptable and that action should be taken. No action was taken.
At the end of the game, the same thing happened again. It's unacceptable to leave the court—with millionaire players and people who truly respect their opponent—and be subjected to spitting, insults, thrown bottles, and pushing.
It's unthinkable that in 2025, with two magnificent and historic clubs, such things are still happening.
I thought we had moved past this. But tonight, it felt like we went many years back."
Olympiacos can win the Finals at home on Sunday.
