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Dimitris Diamantidis

Dimitris Diamantidis (Greek: Δημήτρης Διαμαντίδης Greek pronunciation: [ðiˈmi.tɾis ðʝa.maˈdi.ðis]; born May 6, 1980) is a retired Greek professional basketball player, who spent the last twelve seasons of his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos, where he last served as the team's general manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest European players ever to grace the game,[a] he marked his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague,[2] serving as an inspiration to a whole generation of young European stars.[b] He is the only player to have earned all four aforementioned EuroLeague end-of-season distinctions, even more so in a single year.[c] Diamantidis is the only Greek player who is member of both EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team[11] and EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.[12]

Dimitris Diamantidis
Diamantidis playing against Apollon Patras, in 2013.
Personal information
Born (1980-05-06) May 6, 1980 (age 42)
Kastoria, Greece
NationalityGreek
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2002 / Undrafted
Playing career1999–2016
PositionGuard
Number13
Career history
1999–2004Iraklis Thessaloniki
2004–2016Panathinaikos
Career highlights and awards
As player

As General Manager

EuroLeague records

Professional Greek League career stats leaders

Career EuroLeague statistics
Points2,495 (9.0 ppg)
Rebounds969 (3.5 rpg)
Assists1,255 (4.5 apg)

At the age of fourteen, Diamantidis started his basketball career with the youth clubs of his hometown team, AS Kastoria. Five years later, he made his professional debut with Iraklis Thessaloniki, and by 2003, he had emerged as an all-around star in the Greek League. He became a member of Panathinaikos Athens in the summer of 2004, with whom he won three EuroLeague titles, in 2007, 2009, and 2011, with the last two coming as the team's captain. Diamantidis' numerous accolades in the premier European club competition include a EuroLeague MVP Award, two EuroLeague Final Four MVP Awards, four All-EuroLeague First Team selections, as well as a record six EuroLeague Best Defender Awards. He is the EuroLeague's all-time leader in steals[13] since the stat was first officially recognized starting with the 1991–92 season. On April 1, 2016, he was honored with a EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award.[2]

Amidst a long series of "derbies of the eternal enemies", opposing Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus, Diamantidis thrived, as he faced Olympiacos every year for twelve consecutive seasons, including in eleven Greek League Finals, six Greek Cup Finals, and a EuroLeague semifinal. He won nine Greek League and ten Greek Cup titles, alongside a record six Greek League Finals MVP and a record six Greek League MVP awards, as well as two Greek Cup MVP awards. Diamantidis' personal friendship and rivalry with Olympiacos star Vassilis Spanoulis, was at the center of attention throughout six Greek League Finals and three Greek Cup Finals encounters. Diamantidis' self-effacing psyche[14] helped relieve tension between the two powerhouses, when he retired in 2016.[15]

As a member of the Greece men's national basketball team, Diamantidis won a EuroBasket gold medal in 2005; while anchoring a defense that allowed just 59.7 points per game. He also scored the three-pointer that sealed the fate of the semifinal game against France, just seconds before the game's final buzzer. He also led that tournament in assists,[16] and was a part of the All-EuroBasket Team. In 2006, he played a pivotal role in a FIBA World Cup silver medal campaign, with Greece stunning Team USA in the semifinals, and Diamantidis finishing as the competition's steals leader.[17] Diamantidis was also a two-time Olympian, as he donned the Greek colours in 2004 and 2008, and on both occasions earned the fifth place of the tournament, which is tied for the all-time best finish for Greece. On the basis of his myriad achievements, he was named the Mister Europa Player of the Year by Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2007.[18] He was also named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year in 2007.

Early years

Diamantidis was born in Kastoria, Greece, on 6 May 1980. He began playing the sport of basketball with the youth teams of the local club AS Kastoria. The club would later go on to name its home arena, Dimitris Diamantidis Indoor Hall, after him in his honor.

Professional career

Iraklis Thessaloniki

In the summer of 1999, at the age of 19, Diamantidis began his professional career, when he signed with the Greek Basket League club Iraklis Thessaloniki. In his first pro season, in the 1999–00 Greek League season, he averaged 1.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.[19] In his first season with the club, Diamantidis also played in the European-wide secondary league, the FIBA Saporta Cup. Diamantidis averaged 1.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, during the Saporta Cup 1999–00 season.[20]

In his second season with the club, in the 2000–01 Greek League season, he upped his averages to 3.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.[19] Diamantidis also played in what was one of the two premier European-wide club competitions at that time, the FIBA SuproLeague. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, during the SuproLeague's 2000–01 season.[21]

In his third season with Iraklis, he continued to up his numbers in the Greek League, as he averaged 6.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, during the 2001–02 Greek League season.[19] He was selected to the Greek League's All-Star Game, for the first time that season. Diamantidis also once again played in the Pan-European secondary league, in which he averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, during the Saporta Cup's 2001–02 season.[22]

In his fourth season with Iraklis, Diamantidis only played in the national domestic Greek Basket League. He continued to improve his individual numbers and performances, as he averaged 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, a league-leading 2.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, during the 2002–03 Greek League season.[19] He was also once again voted to the Greek League's All-Star Game.

In his fifth and final season with Iraklis, Diamantidis had his best year with the club. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, a league-leading 2.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, during the 2003–04 Greek League season.[19] Due to his play, he was again voted to the Greek League's All-Star Game, and at the end of the season, he was also named the Greek League's MVP for the season. During his five seasons with Iraklis, one of the oldest Greek clubs, Diamantidis managed to help bring the team back into prominence in Greek competitions, after the club had been struggling in previous years.

Panathinaikos Athens

 
Diamantidis in 2007

After his continued improvement and success with Iraklis, Diamantidis made a big step up in his career, with his move to Panathinaikos of Athens, in 2004; a basketball powerhouse of the Greek Basket League, and also of the EuroLeague. During his career with Panathinaikos, Diamantidis was given the nickname of "3-D", which stood for "Dimitris Diamantidis Defense" by the club's fans. Due to great individual and team successes, the late pharmaceutical magnate Pavlos Giannakopoulos, who was at that time the President of Panathinaikos, signed Diamantidis in 2008, to a 3-year, 5.7 million net income contract extension. In 2010, Diamantidis again renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 3 years, at 10.8 million gross income (€6 million net income).[23] On February 21, 2013, Diamantidis became the EuroLeague's career leader in steals.[24]

On July 4, 2013, Diamantidis renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 2 years, at a salary of €1.9 million net income per year. On October 30, 2014, Diamantidis became the first player in EuroLeague history to have dished out at least 1,000 career assists.[25] On September 2, 2015, Diamantidis announced his retirement from playing professional club basketball, effective at the end of the 2015–16 Greek League season.[26] In his last season with Panathinaikos, he was voted the Greek League Most Popular Player.[27] Diamantidis retired as the all-time career leader in both assists and Performance Index Rating (PIR) in the entire history of the EuroLeague. Those records were eventually broken.

While he was a member of Panathinaikos, Diamantidis and Željko Obradović shared one of the most successful collaborations between a player and his head coach in the history of European club basketball. During his time with Panathinaikos, Diamantidis won the EuroLeague championship three times (2007, 2009, 2011), the Greek League championship nine times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014), and the Greek Cup title ten times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). He also won the Triple Crown in 2007 and 2009.

Diamantidis also won several individual trophies with Panathinaikos, such as: the EuroLeague MVP in 2011,[2] the EuroLeague Final Four MVP twice (2007, 2011), the EuroLeague Best Defender six times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011),[2] five of his six total Greek League MVP awards (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014), the Greek League Finals MVP six times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014), and the MVP of the Greek Cup in 2009 and 2016. While he was a member of Panathinaikos, Diamantidis was also named the 2007 Mister Europa, and the 2007 Greek Athlete of the Year.

After he ended his playing career, Diamantidis had his #13 playing jersey officially retired by Panathinaikos.[28] In 2020, Diamantidis was named "The Best Greek Professional Basketball Player of The 2010s Decade", by the readers of the Greek website Gazzetta.gr.[29]

National team career

Diamantidis was a member of the Greek under-20 junior national team. He played with Greece's under-20 junior national team at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where Greece finished in seventh place. He averaged 3.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.5 steals per game at the tournament.[30] As a part of the Greek under-26 national selection, Diamantidis won the silver medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games.

Diamantidis was also a member of the Greece men's national basketball team. With Greece's senior team, he won the gold medal at the 2006 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup, and seven Acropolis Tournaments, while also being named the tournament's MVP twice, in 2005 and 2006.

On September 4, 2010, after Greece's elimination in the Eighth-Finals of the 2010 FIBA World Cup, at the hands of Spain (by a score of 80–72), Diamantidis announced his immediate retirement from the Greece National Team. He had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in his last game with Greece's national team. He finished his career bearing the Greek flag, having played in 124 games, and having scored a total of 760 points, for a scoring average of 6.13 points per game.[31]

FIBA EuroBasket

With the Greece men's national basketball team, Diamantidis participated at the 2003 EuroBasket, where Greece finished in fifth place, after beating Serbia and Montenegro, by a score of 72–64. Diamantidis won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket. During the FIBA EuroBasket that year, he led the tournament in assists, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team. In the tournament's semifinals against the French national team, Diamantidis hit a game-winning three-point shot, with Greece trailing by a score of 66–64, at the end of the game, to give Greece a 67–66 victory, and send them to the European Championship's final game.

Diamantidis made 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks for Greece at the 2007 EuroBasket, losing the bronze medal to Lithuania, 78–69.

FIBA World Cup

Diamantidis won the silver medal with Greece at the 2006 FIBA World Cup, which was held in Japan. In the tournament's semifinals, he was a key factor in Greece's historic 101–95 victory against Team USA, with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while facing the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard. The defeat suffered by the United States team was the only one during Mike Krzyzewski's second era as the team's head coach (2005–2016). Coach Krzyzewski, in a press conference during the 2014 FIBA World Cup, stated: "2006, that's a lesson we learned. The Greek Team taught us (Team USA) how to play internationally."[32]

Diamantidis also represented Greece at the 2010 FIBA World Cup. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game at that tournament.[33]

Summer Olympic Games

Diamantidis was a member of Greece's senior national team that competed at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. He was also selected to play on Greece's senior national team for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Greece finished in fifth place in both tournaments, losing both times to Argentina in the competition's quarterfinals.

Managerial career

Diamantidis retired from playing professional club basketball in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, he became the co-general manager of the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens, the same team that he had spent the last 12 seasons of his playing career with. On April 12, 2022, both Diamantidis and fellow club legend Fragkiskos Alvertis were removed from their administrative positions and replaced with Argyris Pedoulakis, after a rather unfortunate season in EuroLeague. As general manager in two years, Diamantidis won 3 titles: 2020–21 Greek Basket League, 2020–21 Greek Basketball Cup and 2021 Greek Basketball Super Cup.

Player profile

As a left-handed player, Diamantidis played as a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. In the Greek men's national basketball team, his primary position was small forward, with him often being utilized as a point forward. He was primarily a pass first playmaker with outstanding court vision, and an excellent three point shooter, both in spot up situations and off the dribble. He liked to post up smaller point guards. Gifted with a tremendous wingspan for his height (2.16 m or 7'1"), and a unique feel for positioning, he was generally considered to be one of the best defensive players ever to play in the EuroLeague,[2] having won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in five consecutive seasons, and once again, two years later.

As demonstrated by numerous gamechanging actions in crucial situations, Diamantidis was considered to be one of the best decision makers and clutch players in European basketball history.[4]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high  †  Won a EuroLeague championship  *  Led the league

EuroLeague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
FIBA SuproLeague
2000–01[21] Iraklis 13 14.2 .269 .200 .750 1.8 1.2 1.4 .6 2.2
Career 13 14.2 .269 .200 .750 1.8 1.2 1.4 .6 2.2
EuroLeague
2004–05 Panathinaikos 25 20 27.4 .544 .467 .709 3.7 3.1 2.0 .6 8.5 12.5
2005–06 23 22 30.1 .492 .269 .785 4.5 2.9 2.3 .8 8.7 13.1
2006–07 24 24 29.1 .489 .460 .780 3.9 3.9 2.2 .6 8.9 14.3
2007–08 19 19 30.9 .484 .435 .769 5.3 3.3 1.8 .7 8.5 15.1
2008–09 21 12 27.3 .486 .441 .863 4.4 3.1 1.5 .5 8.5 14.0
2009–10 12 9 26.7 .559 .516 .738 2.9 3.3 1.5 .3 9.4 13.7
2010–11 22 21 30.5 .433 .370 .872 3.9 6.2* 1.6 .1 12.5 18.5
2011–12 23 21 30.0 .448 .425 .882 3.7 4.8 1.5 .5 11.5 16.4
2012–13 27 25 31.5 .368 .315 .712 3.4 5.8 1.4 .4 8.1 13.1
2013–14 29 27 100 .324 .283 .763 2.4 6.2* 1.4 .1 8.9 12.8
2014–15 27 27 27.3 .410 .379 .814 2.3 5.9 .9 .3 8.0 12.1
2015–16 26 1 21.2 .459 .376 .827 2.3 4.2 .8 .2 7.2 10.3
Career 278 228 28.7 .442 .375 .795 3.5 4.5 1.6 .4 9.0 13.7

International statistics

Denotes years in which Diamantidis won a Gold medal (first place)
Denotes years in which Diamantidis won a Silver medal (second place)
Led the competition
Year Competition GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003 EuroBasket qualification 4 17.2 .571 .500 .000 3.2 1.8 0.5 0.5 2.2
2003 EuroBasket 6 16.0 .214 .200 .636 2.2 2.3 0.5 0.0 2.5
2004 Olympic Games 6 18.7 .381 .200 .692 3.8 2.5 0.8 0.5 4.5
2005 EuroBasket 7 31.4 .303 .214 .682 5.1 5.0 2.8 0.0 5.4
2006 FIBA World Cup 9 29.9 .511 .440 .708 3.9 2.9 3.3 0.6 8.4
2007 EuroBasket 9 32.8 .362 .350 .923 5.0 2.1 1.3 1.0 8.9
2008 Olympic Games qualification 4 26.8 .654 .600 .500 4.2 3.8 0.8 0.0 11.0
2008 Olympic Games 6 28.3 .421 .368 .833 3.5 2.3 1.3 0.3 7.3
2010 FIBA World Cup 6 29.2 .465 .353 .667 3.5 3.8 1.5 0.5 10.0

Awards and honors

Club career

Greek under-26 national team

Greek senior national team

Individual awards

Pro clubs

Greek senior national team

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Legends of Obradovic, Diamantidis Grow | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Latest News | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball.
  3. ^ ""So what if we didn't speak to each other? He's a huge player"". Eurohoops. 2 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Scariolo at SDNA: "Keep Diamantidis in basketball forever"". SDNA. 31 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Gist at SDNA: "Diamantidis one of the greatest ever"". SDNA. 28 December 2015.
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  7. ^ Giannis Antetokounmpo: "My idol growing up was Dimitris Diamantidis". Milwaukee: Milwaukee Bucks official Youtube channel. 25 July 2013. Event occurs at 0 min 35 sec. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  8. ^ ""Hope I will manage to be like Diamantidis"". Eurohoops. 13 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Kuzminskas at SDNA: "Can't wait for last match against Diamantidis"". SDNA. 3 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Vasilije Micic may haved [sic] played his last EuroLeague game and it was memorable". Eurohoops. 30 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Euroleague.net profile as All-Decade Team member".
  12. ^ "2010-20 All-Decade Team: Dimitris Diamantidis". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Statistics | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball.
  14. ^ "DraftExpress - Euroleague: Who's Hot". DraftExpress.
  15. ^ "Dimitris Diamantidis: "I am blessed... thank you"". Eurohoops. 30 May 2016.
  16. ^ "archive.fiba.com: 2005 EuroBasket: Greece". archive.fiba.com.
  17. ^ "archive.fiba.com: 2006 FIBA World Championship:". www.fiba.basketball.
  18. ^ "Diamantidis Named Mister Europe 2007 | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Παίκτης - Ε.Σ.Α.Κ.Ε." - Ε.Σ.Α.Κ.Ε.
  20. ^ "Dimitrios Diamantidis | Saporta Cup (2000) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com.
  21. ^ a b "Dimitrios Diamantidis | FIBA SuproLeague (2001) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com.
  22. ^ "Dimitrios Diamantidis | Saporta Cup (2002) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com.
  23. ^ "Talkbasket.net - Panathinaikos keep their captain Diamantidis".
  24. ^ "Diamantidis is new Euroleague steals king". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Diamantidis makes history with 1,000 assists". Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Sportando.com, Diamantidis announces he'll retire after this upcoming season".
  27. ^ "Ο Δ. Διαμαντίδης πιο δημοφιλής παίκτης της Basket League ΣΚΡΑΤΣ". - Ε.Σ.Α.Κ.Ε.
  28. ^ "Diamantidis' jersey retired". Eurohoops. 17 September 2016.
  29. ^ "Ψηφίσατε: Διαμαντίδης ο κορυφαίος Έλληνας μπασκετμπολίστας της δεκαετίας! (pic)". www.gazzetta.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  30. ^ "Dimitrios Diamantidis profile, European Championship for Young Men 2000". FIBA.COM.
  31. ^ "Σελίδα Αθλητή".
  32. ^ Coach Mike Krzyzewski: "The Greek Team taught us how to play internationally". Barcelona: FIBA. 9 September 2014. Event occurs at 14 min 27 sec. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  33. ^ "Dimitrios Diamantidis profile, FIBA World Championship 2010". FIBA.COM.
  34. ^ "Εθνική Ομάδα: Η ΜΥΘΙΚΗ ελληνική πεντάδα της 20ετίας! (photo)". Eurohoops. 31 May 2020.
  35. ^ "Διαμαντίδης και Σπανούλης στην κορυφαία πεντάδα της 20ετιας των EuroBasket". www.sport24.gr.

External links

  • Dimitris Diamantidis at draftexpress.com
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at esake.gr (in English)
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at esake.gr (in Greek)
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at eurobasket.com
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at euroleague.net
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at fiba.com (archive)
  • Dimitris Diamantidis at fibaeurope.com

dimitris, diamantidis, greek, Δημήτρης, Διαμαντίδης, greek, pronunciation, ðiˈmi, tɾis, ðʝa, maˈdi, ðis, born, 1980, retired, greek, professional, basketball, player, spent, last, twelve, seasons, euroleague, career, with, panathinaikos, where, last, served, t. Dimitris Diamantidis Greek Dhmhtrhs Diamantidhs Greek pronunciation diˈmi tɾis dʝa maˈdi dis born May 6 1980 is a retired Greek professional basketball player who spent the last twelve seasons of his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos where he last served as the team s general manager Widely regarded as one of the greatest European players ever to grace the game a he marked his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague 2 serving as an inspiration to a whole generation of young European stars b He is the only player to have earned all four aforementioned EuroLeague end of season distinctions even more so in a single year c Diamantidis is the only Greek player who is member of both EuroLeague 2000 10 All Decade Team 11 and EuroLeague 2010 20 All Decade Team 12 Dimitris DiamantidisDiamantidis playing against Apollon Patras in 2013 Personal informationBorn 1980 05 06 May 6 1980 age 42 Kastoria GreeceNationalityGreekListed height6 ft 5 in 1 96 m Listed weight195 lb 88 kg Career informationNBA draft2002 UndraftedPlaying career1999 2016PositionGuardNumber13Career history1999 2004Iraklis Thessaloniki2004 2016PanathinaikosCareer highlights and awardsAs player 3 EuroLeague champion 2007 2009 2011 EuroLeague MVP 2011 2 EuroLeague Final Four MVP 2007 2011 4 All EuroLeague First Team 2007 2011 2013 6 EuroLeague Best Defender 2005 2009 2011 2 EuroLeague assists leader 2011 2014 EuroLeague 2000 10 All Decade Team 2010 EuroLeague 2010 20 All Decade Team 2020 EuroLeague Basketball Legend 2016 2 Triple Crown winner 2007 2009 9 Greek League champion 2005 2011 2013 2014 10 Greek Cup winner 2005 2009 2012 2016 6 Greek League MVP 2004 2006 2008 2011 2014 6 Greek League Finals MVP 2006 2009 2011 2014 2 Greek Cup MVP 2009 2016 2 Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer 2009 2013 3 Greek League Best Defender 2008 2009 2011 11 All Greek League Team 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 5 Greek League assists leader 2006 2007 2010 2011 2015 Greek League Most Popular Player 2016 Mister Europa Player of The Year 2007 Greek Male Athlete of the Year 2007 All Europe Player of the Year 2007 2 Acropolis Tournament MVP 2005 2006 No 13 retired by Panathinaikos 2016 As General Manager 2020 21 Greek Basket League 2020 21 Greek Basketball Cup 2021 22 Greek Basketball Super CupEuroLeague records EuroLeague all time leader in stealsProfessional Greek League career stats leaders Greek League all time leader in stealsCareer EuroLeague statisticsPoints2 495 9 0 ppg Rebounds969 3 5 rpg Assists1 255 4 5 apg Medals Men s basketballRepresenting GreeceFIBA World Cup2006 JapanEuroBasket2005 Serbia amp MontenegroStankovic Cup2006 ChinaMediterranean Games2001 Tunisia Under 26At the age of fourteen Diamantidis started his basketball career with the youth clubs of his hometown team AS Kastoria Five years later he made his professional debut with Iraklis Thessaloniki and by 2003 he had emerged as an all around star in the Greek League He became a member of Panathinaikos Athens in the summer of 2004 with whom he won three EuroLeague titles in 2007 2009 and 2011 with the last two coming as the team s captain Diamantidis numerous accolades in the premier European club competition include a EuroLeague MVP Award two EuroLeague Final Four MVP Awards four All EuroLeague First Team selections as well as a record six EuroLeague Best Defender Awards He is the EuroLeague s all time leader in steals 13 since the stat was first officially recognized starting with the 1991 92 season On April 1 2016 he was honored with a EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award 2 Amidst a long series of derbies of the eternal enemies opposing Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus Diamantidis thrived as he faced Olympiacos every year for twelve consecutive seasons including in eleven Greek League Finals six Greek Cup Finals and a EuroLeague semifinal He won nine Greek League and ten Greek Cup titles alongside a record six Greek League Finals MVP and a record six Greek League MVP awards as well as two Greek Cup MVP awards Diamantidis personal friendship and rivalry with Olympiacos star Vassilis Spanoulis was at the center of attention throughout six Greek League Finals and three Greek Cup Finals encounters Diamantidis self effacing psyche 14 helped relieve tension between the two powerhouses when he retired in 2016 15 As a member of the Greece men s national basketball team Diamantidis won a EuroBasket gold medal in 2005 while anchoring a defense that allowed just 59 7 points per game He also scored the three pointer that sealed the fate of the semifinal game against France just seconds before the game s final buzzer He also led that tournament in assists 16 and was a part of the All EuroBasket Team In 2006 he played a pivotal role in a FIBA World Cup silver medal campaign with Greece stunning Team USA in the semifinals and Diamantidis finishing as the competition s steals leader 17 Diamantidis was also a two time Olympian as he donned the Greek colours in 2004 and 2008 and on both occasions earned the fifth place of the tournament which is tied for the all time best finish for Greece On the basis of his myriad achievements he was named the Mister Europa Player of the Year by Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2007 18 He was also named the Greek Male Athlete of the Year in 2007 Contents 1 Early years 2 Professional career 2 1 Iraklis Thessaloniki 2 2 Panathinaikos Athens 3 National team career 3 1 FIBA EuroBasket 3 2 FIBA World Cup 3 3 Summer Olympic Games 4 Managerial career 5 Player profile 6 Career statistics 6 1 EuroLeague 6 2 International statistics 7 Awards and honors 7 1 Club career 7 2 Greek under 26 national team 7 3 Greek senior national team 7 4 Individual awards 7 4 1 Pro clubs 7 4 2 Greek senior national team 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksEarly years EditDiamantidis was born in Kastoria Greece on 6 May 1980 He began playing the sport of basketball with the youth teams of the local club AS Kastoria The club would later go on to name its home arena Dimitris Diamantidis Indoor Hall after him in his honor Professional career EditIraklis Thessaloniki Edit In the summer of 1999 at the age of 19 Diamantidis began his professional career when he signed with the Greek Basket League club Iraklis Thessaloniki In his first pro season in the 1999 00 Greek League season he averaged 1 5 points 1 6 rebounds 0 8 assists 0 8 steals and 0 3 blocks per game 19 In his first season with the club Diamantidis also played in the European wide secondary league the FIBA Saporta Cup Diamantidis averaged 1 8 points 1 2 rebounds 0 4 assists and 1 2 steals per game during the Saporta Cup 1999 00 season 20 In his second season with the club in the 2000 01 Greek League season he upped his averages to 3 4 points 2 8 rebounds 1 7 assists 0 8 steals and 0 3 blocks per game 19 Diamantidis also played in what was one of the two premier European wide club competitions at that time the FIBA SuproLeague He averaged 2 2 points 1 8 rebounds 1 2 assists 1 4 steals and 0 6 blocks per game during the SuproLeague s 2000 01 season 21 In his third season with Iraklis he continued to up his numbers in the Greek League as he averaged 6 2 points 4 7 rebounds 2 8 assists 1 5 steals and 0 4 blocks per game during the 2001 02 Greek League season 19 He was selected to the Greek League s All Star Game for the first time that season Diamantidis also once again played in the Pan European secondary league in which he averaged 7 1 points 5 2 rebounds 2 8 assists 1 7 steals and 0 8 blocks per game during the Saporta Cup s 2001 02 season 22 In his fourth season with Iraklis Diamantidis only played in the national domestic Greek Basket League He continued to improve his individual numbers and performances as he averaged 11 5 points 5 6 rebounds 5 0 assists a league leading 2 5 steals and 0 9 blocks per game during the 2002 03 Greek League season 19 He was also once again voted to the Greek League s All Star Game In his fifth and final season with Iraklis Diamantidis had his best year with the club He averaged 14 8 points 6 3 rebounds 4 2 assists a league leading 2 5 steals and 0 7 blocks per game during the 2003 04 Greek League season 19 Due to his play he was again voted to the Greek League s All Star Game and at the end of the season he was also named the Greek League s MVP for the season During his five seasons with Iraklis one of the oldest Greek clubs Diamantidis managed to help bring the team back into prominence in Greek competitions after the club had been struggling in previous years Panathinaikos Athens Edit Diamantidis in 2007 After his continued improvement and success with Iraklis Diamantidis made a big step up in his career with his move to Panathinaikos of Athens in 2004 a basketball powerhouse of the Greek Basket League and also of the EuroLeague During his career with Panathinaikos Diamantidis was given the nickname of 3 D which stood for Dimitris Diamantidis Defense by the club s fans Due to great individual and team successes the late pharmaceutical magnate Pavlos Giannakopoulos who was at that time the President of Panathinaikos signed Diamantidis in 2008 to a 3 year 5 7 million net income contract extension In 2010 Diamantidis again renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 3 years at 10 8 million gross income 6 million net income 23 On February 21 2013 Diamantidis became the EuroLeague s career leader in steals 24 On July 4 2013 Diamantidis renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 2 years at a salary of 1 9 million net income per year On October 30 2014 Diamantidis became the first player in EuroLeague history to have dished out at least 1 000 career assists 25 On September 2 2015 Diamantidis announced his retirement from playing professional club basketball effective at the end of the 2015 16 Greek League season 26 In his last season with Panathinaikos he was voted the Greek League Most Popular Player 27 Diamantidis retired as the all time career leader in both assists and Performance Index Rating PIR in the entire history of the EuroLeague Those records were eventually broken While he was a member of Panathinaikos Diamantidis and Zeljko Obradovic shared one of the most successful collaborations between a player and his head coach in the history of European club basketball During his time with Panathinaikos Diamantidis won the EuroLeague championship three times 2007 2009 2011 the Greek League championship nine times 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 and the Greek Cup title ten times 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 He also won the Triple Crown in 2007 and 2009 Diamantidis also won several individual trophies with Panathinaikos such as the EuroLeague MVP in 2011 2 the EuroLeague Final Four MVP twice 2007 2011 the EuroLeague Best Defender six times 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2 five of his six total Greek League MVP awards 2006 2007 2008 2011 2014 the Greek League Finals MVP six times 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2014 and the MVP of the Greek Cup in 2009 and 2016 While he was a member of Panathinaikos Diamantidis was also named the 2007 Mister Europa and the 2007 Greek Athlete of the Year After he ended his playing career Diamantidis had his 13 playing jersey officially retired by Panathinaikos 28 In 2020 Diamantidis was named The Best Greek Professional Basketball Player of The 2010s Decade by the readers of the Greek website Gazzetta gr 29 National team career EditDiamantidis was a member of the Greek under 20 junior national team He played with Greece s under 20 junior national team at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under 20 Championship where Greece finished in seventh place He averaged 3 0 points 3 4 rebounds 1 2 assists and 2 5 steals per game at the tournament 30 As a part of the Greek under 26 national selection Diamantidis won the silver medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games Diamantidis was also a member of the Greece men s national basketball team With Greece s senior team he won the gold medal at the 2006 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup and seven Acropolis Tournaments while also being named the tournament s MVP twice in 2005 and 2006 On September 4 2010 after Greece s elimination in the Eighth Finals of the 2010 FIBA World Cup at the hands of Spain by a score of 80 72 Diamantidis announced his immediate retirement from the Greece National Team He had 16 points 4 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals and 2 blocks in his last game with Greece s national team He finished his career bearing the Greek flag having played in 124 games and having scored a total of 760 points for a scoring average of 6 13 points per game 31 FIBA EuroBasket Edit With the Greece men s national basketball team Diamantidis participated at the 2003 EuroBasket where Greece finished in fifth place after beating Serbia and Montenegro by a score of 72 64 Diamantidis won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket During the FIBA EuroBasket that year he led the tournament in assists and was selected to the All Tournament Team In the tournament s semifinals against the French national team Diamantidis hit a game winning three point shot with Greece trailing by a score of 66 64 at the end of the game to give Greece a 67 66 victory and send them to the European Championship s final game Diamantidis made 7 points 7 rebounds 4 assists and 2 blocks for Greece at the 2007 EuroBasket losing the bronze medal to Lithuania 78 69 FIBA World Cup Edit Diamantidis won the silver medal with Greece at the 2006 FIBA World Cup which was held in Japan In the tournament s semifinals he was a key factor in Greece s historic 101 95 victory against Team USA with 12 points 3 rebounds 5 assists and 2 steals while facing the likes of LeBron James Dwyane Wade Carmelo Anthony Chris Bosh Chris Paul and Dwight Howard The defeat suffered by the United States team was the only one during Mike Krzyzewski s second era as the team s head coach 2005 2016 Coach Krzyzewski in a press conference during the 2014 FIBA World Cup stated 2006 that s a lesson we learned The Greek Team taught us Team USA how to play internationally 32 Diamantidis also represented Greece at the 2010 FIBA World Cup He averaged 10 0 points 3 5 rebounds 3 8 assists 1 5 steals and 0 5 blocks per game at that tournament 33 Summer Olympic Games Edit Diamantidis was a member of Greece s senior national team that competed at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics He was also selected to play on Greece s senior national team for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Greece finished in fifth place in both tournaments losing both times to Argentina in the competition s quarterfinals Managerial career EditDiamantidis retired from playing professional club basketball in 2016 Four years later in 2020 he became the co general manager of the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens the same team that he had spent the last 12 seasons of his playing career with On April 12 2022 both Diamantidis and fellow club legend Fragkiskos Alvertis were removed from their administrative positions and replaced with Argyris Pedoulakis after a rather unfortunate season in EuroLeague As general manager in two years Diamantidis won 3 titles 2020 21 Greek Basket League 2020 21 Greek Basketball Cup and 2021 Greek Basketball Super Cup Player profile EditAs a left handed player Diamantidis played as a point guard shooting guard and small forward In the Greek men s national basketball team his primary position was small forward with him often being utilized as a point forward He was primarily a pass first playmaker with outstanding court vision and an excellent three point shooter both in spot up situations and off the dribble He liked to post up smaller point guards Gifted with a tremendous wingspan for his height 2 16 m or 7 1 and a unique feel for positioning he was generally considered to be one of the best defensive players ever to play in the EuroLeague 2 having won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in five consecutive seasons and once again two years later As demonstrated by numerous gamechanging actions in crucial situations Diamantidis was considered to be one of the best decision makers and clutch players in European basketball history 4 Career statistics EditLegend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG Field goal percentage 3P 3 point field goal percentage FT Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game PIR Performance Index Rating Bold Career high Won a EuroLeague championship Led the leagueEuroLeague Edit Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIRFIBA SuproLeague2000 01 21 Iraklis 13 14 2 269 200 750 1 8 1 2 1 4 6 2 2 Career 13 14 2 269 200 750 1 8 1 2 1 4 6 2 2 EuroLeague2004 05 Panathinaikos 25 20 27 4 544 467 709 3 7 3 1 2 0 6 8 5 12 52005 06 23 22 30 1 492 269 785 4 5 2 9 2 3 8 8 7 13 12006 07 24 24 29 1 489 460 780 3 9 3 9 2 2 6 8 9 14 32007 08 19 19 30 9 484 435 769 5 3 3 3 1 8 7 8 5 15 12008 09 21 12 27 3 486 441 863 4 4 3 1 1 5 5 8 5 14 02009 10 12 9 26 7 559 516 738 2 9 3 3 1 5 3 9 4 13 72010 11 22 21 30 5 433 370 872 3 9 6 2 1 6 1 12 5 18 52011 12 23 21 30 0 448 425 882 3 7 4 8 1 5 5 11 5 16 42012 13 27 25 31 5 368 315 712 3 4 5 8 1 4 4 8 1 13 12013 14 29 27 100 324 283 763 2 4 6 2 1 4 1 8 9 12 82014 15 27 27 27 3 410 379 814 2 3 5 9 9 3 8 0 12 12015 16 26 1 21 2 459 376 827 2 3 4 2 8 2 7 2 10 3Career 278 228 28 7 442 375 795 3 5 4 5 1 6 4 9 0 13 7International statistics Edit Denotes years in which Diamantidis won a Gold medal first place Denotes years in which Diamantidis won a Silver medal second place Led the competitionYear Competition GP MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG2003 EuroBasket qualification 4 17 2 571 500 000 3 2 1 8 0 5 0 5 2 22003 EuroBasket 6 16 0 214 200 636 2 2 2 3 0 5 0 0 2 52004 Olympic Games 6 18 7 381 200 692 3 8 2 5 0 8 0 5 4 52005 EuroBasket 7 31 4 303 214 682 5 1 5 0 2 8 0 0 5 42006 FIBA World Cup 9 29 9 511 440 708 3 9 2 9 3 3 0 6 8 42007 EuroBasket 9 32 8 362 350 923 5 0 2 1 1 3 1 0 8 92008 Olympic Games qualification 4 26 8 654 600 500 4 2 3 8 0 8 0 0 11 02008 Olympic Games 6 28 3 421 368 833 3 5 2 3 1 3 0 3 7 32010 FIBA World Cup 6 29 2 465 353 667 3 5 3 8 1 5 0 5 10 0Awards and honors EditClub career Edit 3 EuroLeague Champion 2007 2009 2011 9 Greek League Champion 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 10 Greek Cup Winner 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2 Triple Crown Winner 2007 2009Greek under 26 national team Edit 2001 Mediterranean Games SilverGreek senior national team Edit 2005 EuroBasket Gold 2006 FIBA World Championship Silver 2006 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup Gold 7 Acropolis Tournament Champion 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 Individual awards Edit Pro clubs Edit EuroLeague MVP 2011 2 EuroLeague Final Four MVP 2007 2011 6 EuroLeague Best Defender 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 4 All EuroLeague First Team 2007 2011 2012 2013 2 EuroLeague MVP of the Month December 2010 March April 2012 5 EuroLeague MVP of the Round 2008 Top 16 Week 3 2010 regular season Week 3 2012 2 Playoff Games 1 and 5 2014 Top 16 Week 3 EuroLeague 2000 10 All Decade Team 2010 EuroLeague 2010 20 All Decade Team 2020 EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award 2016 2 EuroLeague Assists Leader 2011 2014 6 Greek League MVP 2004 2006 2007 2008 2011 2014 6 Greek League Finals MVP 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2014 Greek League Best Defender 2011 11 All Greek League Team 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2016 12 Greek League All Star 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 5 Greek League Assists Leader 2006 2007 2010 2011 2015 6 Led Greek League in steals 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2 Greek Cup MVP 2009 2016 2 Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer 2009 2013 Greek League Most Popular Player 2016 Greek Male Athlete of the Year 2007 Superbasket Magazine s Mister Europa Player of the Year 2007 Eurobasket com s All Europe Player of the Year 2007 6 Eurobasket com s All Greek League Player of the Year 2004 2006 2007 2011 2013 2014 10 Eurobasket com s Greek League All Domestic Players Team 2004 2006 2008 2010 2016 EuroLeague career steals leader since the 2000 01 season Professional Greek Basket League career steals leader No 13 retired by Panathinaikos 2016Greek senior national team Edit EuroBasket All Tournament Team 2005 EuroBasket Assists Leader 2005 FIBA World Cup Steals Leader 2006 2 Acropolis Tournament MVP 2005 2006 Voted one of the Greece men s national basketball team s Best 5 Players of the FIBA EuroBasket s 2000 2020 era 2020 34 Voted one of FIBA EuroBasket s Best 5 Players overall of the 2000 2020 era 2020 35 Notes Edit See 1 2 3 4 5 6 See 7 8 9 10 See 2 References Edit Legends of Obradovic Diamantidis Grow FIBA Europe www fibaeurope com a b c d e f g Latest News EuroLeague Euroleague Basketball So what if we didn t speak to each other He s a huge player Eurohoops 2 June 2016 a b Scariolo at SDNA Keep Diamantidis in basketball forever SDNA 31 March 2016 Gist at SDNA Diamantidis one of the greatest ever SDNA 28 December 2015 Ethnos gr European greats pay tribute to Diamantidis Archived from the original on 1 July 2016 Retrieved 27 May 2016 Giannis Antetokounmpo My idol growing up was Dimitris Diamantidis Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks official Youtube channel 25 July 2013 Event occurs at 0 min 35 sec Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 4 October 2016 Hope I will manage to be like Diamantidis Eurohoops 13 February 2016 Kuzminskas at SDNA Can t wait for last match against Diamantidis SDNA 3 March 2016 Vasilije Micic may haved sic played his last EuroLeague game and it was memorable Eurohoops 30 May 2021 Euroleague net profile as All Decade Team member 2010 20 All Decade Team Dimitris Diamantidis Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL Retrieved 1 April 2020 Statistics EuroLeague Euroleague Basketball DraftExpress Euroleague Who s Hot DraftExpress Dimitris Diamantidis I am blessed thank you Eurohoops 30 May 2016 archive fiba com 2005 EuroBasket Greece archive fiba com archive fiba com 2006 FIBA World Championship www fiba basketball Diamantidis Named Mister Europe 2007 FIBA Europe www fibaeurope com a b c d e Paikths E S A K E E S A K E Dimitrios Diamantidis Saporta Cup 2000 FIBA Europe www fibaeurope com a b Dimitrios Diamantidis FIBA SuproLeague 2001 FIBA Europe www fibaeurope com Dimitrios Diamantidis Saporta Cup 2002 FIBA Europe www fibaeurope com Talkbasket net Panathinaikos keep their captain Diamantidis Diamantidis is new Euroleague steals king Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL Retrieved 1 April 2020 Diamantidis makes history with 1 000 assists Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL Retrieved 1 April 2020 Sportando com Diamantidis announces he ll retire after this upcoming season O D Diamantidhs pio dhmofilhs paikths ths Basket League SKRATS E S A K E Diamantidis jersey retired Eurohoops 17 September 2016 PShfisate Diamantidhs o koryfaios Ellhnas mpasketmpolistas ths dekaetias pic www gazzetta gr in Greek Retrieved 1 April 2020 Dimitrios Diamantidis profile European Championship for Young Men 2000 FIBA COM Selida A8lhth Coach Mike Krzyzewski The Greek Team taught us how to play internationally Barcelona FIBA 9 September 2014 Event occurs at 14 min 27 sec Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 Retrieved 20 August 2015 Dimitrios Diamantidis profile FIBA World Championship 2010 FIBA COM E8nikh Omada H MY8IKH ellhnikh pentada ths 20etias photo Eurohoops 31 May 2020 Diamantidhs kai Spanoylhs sthn koryfaia pentada ths 20etias twn EuroBasket www sport24 gr External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dimitris Diamantidis Dimitris Diamantidis at draftexpress com Dimitris Diamantidis at esake gr in English Dimitris Diamantidis at esake gr in Greek Dimitris Diamantidis at eurobasket com Dimitris Diamantidis at euroleague net Dimitris Diamantidis at fiba com archive Dimitris Diamantidis at fibaeurope com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dimitris Diamantidis amp oldid 1131605736, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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