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Former Trail Blazers wing Mario Hezonja agreed to a new deal with Greek club Panathinaikos earlier this week and he was greeted by a crowd of energetic fans upon his arrival. On Thursday, video surfaced from the reception that the former lottery pick received when he landed in Greece.
This is how Panathinaikos fans greeted Mario Hezonja at the Athens International Airport.
— Dionysis Aravantinos (@AravantinosDA) February 25, 2021
(Via https://t.co/4QQhYtiafw / yt) pic.twitter.com/tEbAYsCSTf
After that reception, Panathinaikos shared Hezonja’s reaction in a video posted to social media.
.@mariohezonja : «Νιώθω απίστευτα, δεν έχω λόγια. Είμαι ενθουσιασμένος και πολύ χαρούμενος» #paobc #panathinaikosbcopap #WeTheGreens #UnitedWeStand #panathinaikos pic.twitter.com/VMeHaDAKSt
— Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) February 26, 2021
In the lead up to the 2021 Olympics, Hezonja will compete in both EuroLeague and domestic competitions with Panathinaikos. Prior to officially joining Panathinaikos, Barcelona—Hezonja’s squad prior to his time in the NBA—signed off on the Croatian forward’s wishes to join the club of his choosing.
In his lone season with the Blazers, Hezonja appeared in 53 regular season games (four starts). In those contests, he averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In the 2020 NBA offseason, Hezonja was shipped to the Grizzlies in a three-team trade that returned Enes Kanter to the Blazers. Hezonja was then waived by Memphis prior to the start of the 2020-21 season.