Obradović said no to Partizan's gift. Then his defence held them to 55 points
Partizan had prepared a gift at centre court for Željko Obradović's first game back in Belgrade, and he turned it down. By the final buzzer his Panathinaikos side had held Partizan to 55 points, their lowest total of the EuroLeague season, and won 72-55 to stay the only unbeaten team in the competition.
- Serbian outlet Sportal.rs reported first that Obradović declined the club's traditional tribute; he explained it himself after the game: "Partizan has given me everything, and the club doesn't need to give me anything more" (SKWEEK).
- Partizan had scored 92, 92, 86 and 76 in their first four games; on Tuesday they managed 55, with only 8 points in the third quarter (EuroLeague box score).
- Panathinaikos are 5-0, the only team without a defeat after five rounds; Partizan drop to 3-2.
The gift story broke before tip-off. Sportal.rs reported at 20:57 Belgrade time that Obradović had declined what Partizan had prepared for him, and within the hour it was on most Serbian sports sites. Afterwards he explained: "I said there was no need for it. Partizan has given me everything, and the club doesn't need to give me anything more", according to SKWEEK's translation of his press conference.
He was just as careful about the past. "I have no reason to go back over what happened", he said, and "the love goes both ways, there's no doubt about that". Obradović resigned in November 2025, after a 22-point defeat by Panathinaikos left Partizan 4-9 in the EuroLeague; the board rejected the resignation unanimously, he kept to it, and the club made it official on 29 November (Eurohoops).
On the floor the game turned in the third quarter. It was 28-35 at half-time, then Panathinaikos won the third 20-8 and never looked back (EuroLeague box score). Nigel Hayes-Davis led Panathinaikos with 14 points and Juancho Hernangómez added 10, while Kevarrius Hayes was Partizan's top scorer with 10, in front of 20,073 people. "I think we played our best defensive game so far, but offensively we were tight, perhaps because of the atmosphere", Obradović said.
Partizan, now coached by Joan Peñarroya, had started the season with three straight wins and 92 points in each of their first two games. What happens next: Partizan visit Fenerbahçe on Thursday 15 October, and Panathinaikos host Hapoel Tel Aviv on Friday 16 October.
He said everything to Partizan with his defence
Our editorial team thinks the refused gift was the polite part of the night and the 55 points were the message. Partizan came in averaging 86.5 points a game and scored 55 against a coach who knows every one of their habits, with 8 points in the third quarter. Panathinaikos at 5-0 now look like the team to beat in the regular season. If they still have one defeat or fewer after the November games, we will call them the favourites for a top-two finish.
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