Cedi Osman does not rule out a return to the NBA and is focusing on Panathinaikos

By Giorgos Adamopoulos / [email protected]

After six years with the Cleveland Cavaliers and alongside Victor Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs last season, Cedi Osman returned from the NBA to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Osman, 29, spoke to Eurohoops about the NBA, his career and possible comeback, the differences between the North American-based league and Europe’s premier continental competition and more.

“I don’t think it’s over for me, but you never know what will happen.” He talked about his NBA career.

“I am fully committed to Panathinaikos at the moment and I really want to win the EuroLeague with this team.” continued the Turkish striker, “We have a great team, a very talented team that I believe can go back-to-back and I want to win as many trophies as possible. I want to achieve everything here. That’s why I’m happy to be here and I’m excited and hopeful that it will be a great year for us.”

Among several players who moved from the NBA to the EuroLeague this summer, he shared his opinion about their dominance on the court.

“It depends. I don’t think it’s that easy. Playing in the NBA and then playing in Europe again is, first of all, a different kind of basketball.” he said, “There is a part that we will certainly dominate, but we need some time. It won’t happen like that. It won’t happen that quickly. That’s why we need some time. We have to play games. We have to understand. We have to remember what it was like in Europe. How it was played in the EuroLeague. So there will be times when we will be ourselves and everything, but for now we need some time to get used to EuroLeague basketball again.”

“Maybe everything would be different”

In 2017, Osman Anadolu left Efes and the EuroLeague to play for the Cavs in the NBA. His rookie season reached the NBA Finals, but his team failed, creating the biggest “what if” of his career.

“If we had won, maybe everything would be different for me” he said to Eurohoops, “I had a really good seven years in the NBA, but the most special thing was definitely my rookie year when I reached the NBA Finals.”

“It was great. We played together for a year. But this year I had a lot of fun. He took me under his wing. He shared his experiences with me. He always tried to help me. He spoke about his relationship with LeBron James.

“LeBron stepping on my foot and twisting my ankle was probably not a good start to my NBA career.” he remembered the awkwardness of the first training session alongside James, “I felt bad. It’s my first practice. We played five against five. It wasn’t my fault. There was nothing I could do.”

Ivkovic, Ataman, Popovich, Wemby

The Ohrid native played under the late Dusan Ivkovic at Efes and introduced himself to the EuroLeague.

“He trusted me. He was a legend. “Playing with him for two years was a great experience for me,” he said.

“We talked a lot off the pitch” Osman added: “He was a bit difficult on the pitch. He loved basketball so much. He was so passionate about basketball. He definitely helped me a lot on the pitch. But you could also sit with him outside the field and talk about life. I think everything we talked about was a great experience for me.”

From Ivkovic, the interview ranged from reuniting with Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman to working with Gregg Popovich to introducing French prodigy Wembanyama as the next “Face of the NBA.”

“He’s great. He’s incredible,” he talked about Wemby, “In a year or two he’ll probably be the face of the NBA. That’s what I think. He’s a talented kid like we’ve never seen before.”

In addition, Osman agreed with most opinions from players with experience on both sides of the Atlantic that it was easier to score points in the NBA than in the EuroLeague.

“Because of the rules and the way the game is played in the NBA, I think it’s easier to score in the NBA. You can’t be there in color. “In Europe the big guy can stay in office as long as he wants.” he explained to Eurohoops.

Talks with Real Madrid

Before completing his move to the Greens and signing a one-year contract, Osman was linked to Real Madrid at the start of the off-season.

“Nothing serious,” He described Los Blancos’ interest to Eurohoops. “They were mainly looking for a big guy. Someone who would replace [Guerschon] Yabusele.”

Cedi Osman on Eurohoops TV

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