By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Facing his former team in a best-of-five series culminated with Cedi Osman paving the way for a Panathinaikos Aktor win versus Anadolu Efes in deciding Game 5 on Tuesday.
Celebrations in OAKA Altion included the 30-year-old forward signing in Greek.
“It was just something that we were working on for quite a time,” he revealed in a postgame media session, “The deal was if we qualify for the Final Four, that I’ll take to the mic and sing.”
“It was just a moment of showing love to the fans, to the people that supported me during the season,” he added, “It was a great moment, definitely.”
Pouring in a season-high 28 points alongside eight rebounds and one steal, chants naturally focused on his name.
“Yeah, definitely,” he ranked reactions as his best moment with the Greens, “I felt amazing, hearing them chanting my name and supporting me through the whole season. It was amazing.”
Progressing to the Final Four, his side will face Fenerbahce Beko in the Semifinals on May 23, in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena.
“Final Four. EuroLeague trophy. That was my motivation,” confirmed Osman.
“We played against a very, very, very difficult team, very, very tough team,” he referred to the exciting series of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs with Efes, “My motivation was just putting eyes on the EuroLeague trophy.”
On the opposite side of the Final Four bracket sit archrival Olympiacos and AS Monaco.
“Why not? That would be amazing,” he accepted the challenge of a possible matchup with the Reds in the championship game on May 25, “I’m ready, whoever comes. We’ll be ready. We’ll go game by game. Now we have Fener in front of us, another tough team, a lot of great players, great coach. We’ll work hard, but now we’ll enjoy it for a couple of days, we’ll rest, and then we’ll get back on track.”
