First of all i would like to thank Ronald for this amazing article. This article makes me proud of supporting Panathinaikos and how huge this team is in all over the world. I would like to tell him that he is one of us and that he is wellcome to Athens to watch together a game of of Panathinaikos.
Now you can read his "green" story...
Cheers
Ronald
Panathinaikos has fans all over the world, and I am proud to be one of them. I am not exactly sure when it all started, but it must have been in the late '90s. Back then, in the Netherlands we were able to receive ERT and every weekend I was attached to the television watching greats like Bodiroga, Alvertis and a very young Fotsis play. I immediately liked the toughness of Greek basketball and there was something magical about that team in green. When players like Batiste and Diamantidis joined the team a few years later, it had become easier to watch games online and my basketball heart had embraced Pao completely.
In 2007, me and some friends from the Netherlands were lucky enough to witness some legendary games in OAKA during the Euroleague Final Four. I will never forget the passion of the crowd, the energy, the noise, the cheering after every made basket and the incredible high quality of play during that weekend. Weeks later I would still find myself singing 'Pao, Pao, ole, ole,..'. Ever since, we have made it a tradition amongst friends to visit the Euroleague Final Four. For obvious reasons, the ones in Berlin (2009) and Barcelona (2011) were the most memorable, and I am confident that 2014 will be yet another great year for our team. In Milan, the great 3D will hopefully lift the 7th Euroleague trophy, bringing it back to the right part of Athens.
Normally, I watch the Euroleague and Greek league games online, but I am very happy to have been able to get some courtside tickets for the Unicaja Malaga - Panathinaikos game that will take place on 13 February. I am sure that this will be another great memory that will be followed by many more in the next years. I am looking forward to watching the team play from up-close and my friend and I will definitely sing our lungs out for the Greens.
I hope to see many of you in Milan and in the meantime I trust you guys to make sure that no team takes a win from OAKA. Go Panathinaikos!
Ronald Derks
