Reigning EuroLueague and Greek champions Panathinaikos have secured the services of Turkish NBA star Cedi Osman.
The transfer, on a reported one-year deal, was announced by the club on a social media post.
“And now Greens, you can enjoy your weekend… #TheFirstCedi is GREEN,” Panathinaikos wrote on X.
The signing was also confirmed by Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos, who shared a video on his Instagram page.
The Turkish international guard/forward will further bolster Panathinaikos’ already strong roster, rallied by the Turkish veteran coach Ergin Ataman.
Osman, who began his playing career at the Turkish basketball giants Anadolu Efes, switched to the NBA side Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2017, before moving to San Antonio Spurs last season.
The 29-year-old forward spent seven seasons in the NBA where he averaged 9.3 points, three rebounds and two assists in 495 games.
The Turkish player was reportedly in advanced talks with Real Madrid but didn’t reach an agreement. He also received interest from the Los Angeles Lakers but decided to refuse and return to Europe due to uncertainty about making it to the season roster, according to eurohoops.net.
In 2020, he became Türkiye’s national goodwill ambassador when he was placed on the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors list.
