ERGİN ATAMAN
Basketball
Panathinaikos AKTOR
Date of Birth: January 7, 1966
Country: Türkiye
Profession: Coach
Ergin Ataman was born on January 7, 1966, in Istanbul, Turkey. He completed his primary and secondary education at the Italian High School and graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Business Administration. Ataman began playing basketball at the age of 12 with Eczacıbaşı, serving as team captain and winning eight Turkish League titles between 1975 and 1989.
He started his coaching career as an assistant coach with Efes Pilsen in 1992, and in 1996 took on his first head coaching role with Türk Telekom, winning the Presidential Cup in 1997. Returning to Efes Pilsen as head coach, he led the team to its first-ever EuroLeague Final Four appearance.
In 2001, he became the head coach of Montepaschi Siena in Italy, guiding the team to the EuroLeague Final Four the following season. Between 2003 and 2006, he coached Ülkerspor, winning two Turkish Cups and two Presidential Cups. After stints with Fortitudo Bologna and Beşiktaş, Ataman returned to Efes Pilsen, where he captured the Türkiye Basketball Super League, Turkish Cup, and Presidential Cup.
Later, as head coach of Beşiktaş, he led the team to its first Türkiye Basketball Super League title in 37 years and also won the EuroChallenge and Turkish Cup titles. As head coach of Galatasaray, he won the Türkiye Basketball Super League in 2013 — the club’s first in 27 years — and the EuroCup in 2016.
In 2017, he took over Anadolu Efes, leading the team to back-to-back EuroLeague championships in 2021 and 2022, and was named “EuroLeague Coach of the Year” in 2021. In 2024, he became head coach of Panathinaikos Aktor, winning both the EuroLeague and the Greek Basketball League titles that same year, along with the “Coach of the Year” award in Greece. In 2025, he added the Greek Cup to his achievements.
Since 2022, Ergin Ataman has also served as the Head Coach of the Turkish Men’s National Basketball Team. Throughout his career, he has coached six EuroLeague clubs across two continents, becoming one of the most successful figures in Turkish basketball history. He is the first Turkish coach to lead both a Turkish and a foreign team to the EuroLeague Final Four and win with them, the first to win a European Cup with a foreign team, the first Turkish coach to win the EuroCup, and the first to win the EuroChallenge Cup.
Achievements
Turkish Men’s National Team: European Championship Silver Medal (2025)
Panathinaikos Aktor: EuroLeague Champion (2024), Greek Basketball League Champion (2024), Greek Cup (2024, 2025)
Anadolu Efes (2nd Term): EuroLeague Champion (2021, 2022), EuroLeague Runner-up (2019), Türkiye Basketball Super League (2019, 2021, 2023), Turkish Cup (2018), Presidential Cup (2018, 2019)
Galatasaray: EuroCup (2006), Türkiye Basketball Super League (2013)
Beşiktaş: EuroChallenge Cup (2012), Turkish Cup (2012), Türkiye Basketball Super League (2012)
Anadolu Efes: Türkiye Basketball Super League (2009), Turkish Cup (2009), Presidential Cup (2009)
Ülkerspor: Turkish Cup (2004, 2005), Presidential Cup (2004, 2005)
Montepaschi Siena: Saporta Cup (2002)
Türk Telekom: Presidential Cup (1997)
Awards
2025 FIBA EuroBasket Best Coach
2024 Greek League Coach of the Year
2021 EuroLeague Coach of the Year
2021 Milliyet Sports Awards: Coach of the Year
2000 Milliyet Sports Awards: Coach of the Year