End of season for Mathias Lessort, not selected for Greek finals with Panathinaikos

On Friday, May 23, Mathias Lessort (2.06m, 29 years old) met his challenge by returning to the EuroLeague courts in time for the Final Four with Panathinaikos. The French center had suffered a serious injury before Christmas, fracturing his left fibula against Vitoria. But after two losses at the Final Four – against Fenerbahçe in the semifinals and against Olympiacos in the third-place game – Mathias Lessort saw his season end while Pana is still competing in the Greek league playoff finals.

Mathias Lessort is BACK on the court for the first time this year 🙏 pic.twitter.com/M6PxATug2o

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) May 23, 2025

Coach’s Decision

Though hoped for by Ergin Ataman to play in Abu Dhabi, Mathias Lessort will have to support his teammates from the stands against Olympiacos, as Greek championship restrictions forced Ergin Ataman to make a choice. The Turkish coach can only include 7 foreign players in his roster, and only 6 per game.

❌ Mathias Lessort was cut from the roster of Panathinaikos ahead of the Greek League Finals against archrival Olympiacos!

⏳This decision marks the end of the season for the French big man who will have to wait for the next campaign to wear the Green jersey once again. pic.twitter.com/2ofOLdju9T

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) May 29, 2025

Ataman preferred to select Kendrick Nunn, Cedi Osman, Juancho Hernangomez, Jerian Grant, Wenyen Gabriel, Omer Yurtseven and Lorenzo Brown instead of Lessort, whose fitness level is deemed insufficient to play and make an impact in high-intensity games every two or three days. The final series for the national trophy begins this Friday, May 30, at 8 PM. Panathinaikos has home-court advantage against Piraeus, after finishing the regular season in Greece undefeated.