Relatives, friends, and fans are saying their last goodbye today to the iconic coach of Greek basketball, Yannis Ioannidis who passed away on Wednesday.

The coffin with his body – covered with the flag of Aris – was lying in state and arrived, amidst the adoration of the fans, shortly before 4 pm at the Alexandreio Melathro in Thessaloniki, in order for the public to bid their final farewell to the coach at the stadium he lived unforgettable moments of glory, before his burial at the Thermi cemetery. Touching moments unfolded when the vehicle carrying the family of Giannis Ioannidis arrived at Alexandrio, with his wife, Youla, greeting the fans.

Greek basketball legend Nikos Galis arrived at the Alexandrio Melathron, where after being cheered by the fans, expressed his emotion for the loss of his “big brother”, as he described Giannis Ioannidis. “If I could describe him in one word, I would say that he is a man, everything he had to say to you, he said directly to your face. He had a vision from a young age to make Aris BC a great team. We grew up together, I thought of him as a big brother, he put the team before himself. He was great. It’s a difficult day for me, the Aris fans, and the whole world. He was a teacher, a very, very great teacher. We had a lot of good times and a few regrets. It’s true that both of us couldn’t take the loss. He was straightforward and many people blamed him for that,” said Nikos Galis.