 In the summer of 1998 Panathinaikos chairman Pavlos Giannakopoulos began assembling a team to conquer Europe.In order to achieve that, he signed the 1998 FIBA World Cup MVP, Dejan Bodiroga, while Nando Gentile, Pat Burke and Nikos Boudouris also joined the team.The 1998–99 season proved very important for Panathinaikos, as Olympiacos, who had gained home court advantage in the Greek League playoffs, were prepared to return to the top.