Panathinaikos owner attempted to buy out Nikola Jokic's NBA contract

Dimitrios Giannakopoulos, the owner of Panathinaikos Basketball Club, revealed that he made a serious attempt to sign NBA superstar Nikola Jokic to play in Greece. Giannakopoulos stated that he approached both the Denver Nuggets and Jokic’s representatives with a proposal to buy out the remaining portion of the center’s NBA contract.

The attempt was met with immediate rejection from the Denver Nuggets. Giannakopoulos described the response as nearly instantaneous, noting that the organization showed no interest in the proposal. Despite this, the Greek billionaire expressed his intention to try again in the future, specifically mentioning the 2027 offseason.

Jokic’s longtime agent, Misko Raznatovic, confirmed the validity of Giannakopoulos’ claims. While the financial scale of such a move would be unprecedented for European basketball—potentially requiring tens of millions of dollars to match Jokic’s NBA earnings—the primary obstacle remains the player's own preference. Jokic is currently tied to the Nuggets and is eligible for a historic contract extension in 2027.