Rick Pitino returns to coaching, hired by Greek team Panathinaikos B.C.

Long-time college head coach Rick Pitino, who last coached in 2017 before being fired by Louisville amidst several scandals, will return to coaching in 2019. The Hall of Famer is finalizing a deal to become the head coach of Panathinaikos B.C., an Athens, Greece-based team in the GBL & EuroLeague.

Pitino, 66, has coached in college and the NBA over the course of his 40+ year career. He has expressed a desire to get back into coaching on many occasions, but his current standing with the NCAA will make it difficult for him to ever coach in college again.

In 5+ seasons as a pro head coach – two with the New York Knicks and three and a half with the Boston Celtics – Pitino has a .466 winning percentage (192-220 overall).

The Panathinaikos club has a successful track record in the EuroLeague, winning six titles (most recently in 2010-11), and has been crowned champion of the local Greek Basket League (GBL) a record 36 times. The team’s long-standing rival – Olympiacos B.C. in Piraeus –  hired former Maccabi Tel Aviv and Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt in June.

h/t Dylan Buell / Getty for photo