THE John Papapetrou He retired from the active action of basketball at the age of 31, a news that fell as a bomb in Greek sports, with Panathinaikos player saying goodbye to a very long career with many titles, dozens of joys, and many difficulties.
No one or rather very few expected that John Papapetrou would make such a decision. International Forward chose what’s best for himself to retired from basketball and hang his shoes. In fact, this cycle closes in a special way for him, as he did it as a Panathinaikos player.
A team that Pope had in his heart from a young age and not only wore his jersey, but became a leader and managed to achieve great things with her.
Papapetrou was a model professional, with morality and modesty, who avoided the challenges and won the respect of both his teammates and his opponents. This is also reflected by the moving messages accepting from the time he announced his decision.
A quite difficult and painful decision, however, for him was the right one. After all, how hard he was going through and what he was facing every day can not be able to judge, despite the athlete himself.
Others in their 31 years are at the top of their career, signing the biggest contracts of their lives. For Ioannis Papapetrou, however, the body and to precisely his suffering knee did not allow him to continue a course that lasted 12 years in professional basketball.
However, through this route, the veteran forward has managed to get a lot, with the love of the world being the number one.
By the reds in the green
It was summer 2013 when Olympiacos decided to invest in a 19 -year -old with highly qualified John Papapetrou. George Bardzokas believed in the capabilities of the then silver player and wanted him as much as nothing in his team, who had won the Euroleague back-to-back. Despite his father’s past, Argyris, in Panathinaikos, John considered that the best step for his career was to wear the “red -white”.
Coming from the University of Texas, he left the US and joined Olympiacos as the player intended for successor to Kostas Papanikolaou, who had just transferred to Barcelona. His athletic qualifications, his very good shot and his hard work, with him staying in Olympiacos (2013–2018), celebrating two Greek Championships (2015, 2016), while playing in two Euroleague finals (2015, 2017).
However, in the summer of 2018, Papapetrou at the age of 24 believed that his time at Olympiacos was over, with himself leaving Piraeus to wear the shirt of the eternal opponent of the club, that of Panathinaikos!
The reactions, as it makes sense, were the worst possible, with Olympiacos’ friends never forgiving the particular decision of Papapetro, who was made by a beloved kid on a red cloth!
However, and although always when he returned to the SEF, his world turned his back, Papapetrou never caused, he never spoke in bad words and held a neutral attitude, which was appreciated by many.
The injury that put a stop to him
Papapetrou was a leader and leader of Panathinaikos in difficult times for the team. It was a member at a time when the “Greens” were far from the Euroleague playoffs, the budget was quite low and the problems were quite low.
He never hid and did what he was going through to help the team and after a … one -year break in Serbia and Partizan with which the championship took, the “Pope” was a key gear for the club’s regeneration.
He had a significant contribution to the Euroleague win in 2024, and played an important role in the championship that the Greens took. It may no longer have been the leader and the first violin of the team, giving room to his teammates, but Papapetrou was there whenever needed and the team needed him.
However, when he hit his knee in the fall of 2023 and had to intervene nothing was the same. His long absence from the parquet and his return played an important role for him in order to make the decision to retire.
He now felt that he is not an athlete himself. His performance fell and things did not ride as he had dreamed. This is how he was at 31 years old, he decided that the best is to stop basketball, as he could no longer be as before.
Nothing was the same for “Pope” after the injury.
The universal reception
Ioannis Papapetrou put the end titles in his career, but he received the universal acceptance of everyone. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos wished him the sequel and thanked him for what he offered.
Athletes such as Giannis Antetokounbosthe Kostas Sloukasthe George Prindezis They said goodbye to him by saying and writing the best, and something similar was done by both the Greek basketball federation, but also by the Euroleague!
Papapetrou could never have been the big star in the teams he played, but where he played with those who met, the impression was the best. That is why the sadness caused after his announcement that basketball is stopping.
The palmar
Olympic
Greek Championship: 2015, 2016
Best young player: 2016
Panathinaikos
EuroLeague: 2024
Greek Championship: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
Greek Cup: 2019, 2021, 2025
Super Cup: 2021
Greek Championship MVP: 2021
MVP final A1: 2021
Greek Cup MVP: 2021
Partisan
ABA League: 2023