Richaun Holmes: from Sacramento to Athens, a XXL rebound
One summer, one phone call, and it all flips. Richaun Holmes, a pivot with an indefatigable engine, puts his NBA stuff away and slips it into a suitcase in the direction of Athens. Destination Panathinaikos, vice-champion of Greece, boiling temple of European basketball. At 31, the American leaves the scent of the US parquet for the green and white tumult of OAKA. A bold, almost instinctive choice that could well revive his career.
The contract that changes everything
Two years, a salary to make many NBA interiors pale, and the promise of a central role. Holmes arrives in Europe with a gold deal, proof that the Panathinaikos did not recruit him to make figuration. Released in July, at the worst moment of the American market, he could have skimped off the radar. But Athens' phone call changed everything. The kind of offer we don't let go.
A snowshoe that will make Europe tremble
Imagine the scene: Mathias Lessort, Ömer Yurtseven... and now Richaun Holmes. Three solid templates, three complementary profiles, three nightmares for opposing defenses. In NBA career, Holmes is 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds at 61% success. Not flashy, but terribly effective. And in a Euroligue context where every possession counts, this kind of profile can weigh heavily.
The Remembrance of Feastful Days
Sacramento, 2021. Holmes lines 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 against average. A double-double machine, a player with pure energy and well-oiled pick-and-rolls. Even his last season in Washington, out of the bench, remains clean: 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 65% on the shot. No doubt, the guy can make himself useful.
Why Europe can succeed
Athens is not just a drop point. It's a scene. The warmth of the public, the tension of Euroligue matches, the express trips to the four corners of the continent... Holmes will discover another basketball, more tactical, more physical too. But with his motor, his mobility and his sense of timing, he has the weapons to dominate. What if it shines, who knows? The NBA door could reopen.
For now, Pana fans are already tripping. A Holmes ready to crush dunks on the head of European pivots promises. And in the furnace of OAKA, every bounce, every counter, every dunk will be welcomed as an act of faith. Welcome to Greece, Richaun.
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