Derrick Williams recently signed with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos and he spoke about his excitement joining the club and his reunion with head coach Dejan Radonjic, who worked together in FC Bayern Munich.
“I’ve worked with the coach before and I’m excited to meet him again. The presence of Mr. Radonic along with the team, the city, the people and my new teammates create excitement and impatience in me and made my decision easy,” Williams stated.
Williams played for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season and helped the team reach the EuroLeague playoffs being among the top performers of the Israeli club. The former No.2 overall pick hope to do the same for the Greens.
“My personal goals are directly connected to the goals of the club and the fans. Panathinaikos is a historic team with big demands, always competitive that cannot help but have the highest goals.”
In his previous season campaign in Tel Aviv, Williams averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists across 35 EuroLeague games. The forward stated that he cannot wait to experience the fans’ presence in OAKA as Panathinaikos’ player.
“I know well and as an opponent I have seen the explosive atmosphere of OAKA. I can’t wait to experience it as a Panathinaikos player. To collect this energy and help the team get victories”, he noted.