 After leading the 1997 EuroBasket in scoring, he subsequently agreed to play with the New York Knicks, but he never actually played in the NBA, because of the 1998–99 NBA season lockout, that started on July 1, 1998.Eventually, he signed a three-year contract with Panathinaikos.In the 2000 EuroLeague Finals game, he scored 17 points, against his former team Maccabi Tel Aviv, to win the EuroLeague championship with Panathinaikos.