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Panagiotis Giannakis

Panagiotis "Notis" Giannakis (Greek: Παναγιώτης "Νότης" Γιαννάκης, pronounced [panaˈʝotiz ʝaˈnacis]; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece. He started his senior career at the age of just 13 at Ionikos Nikaias and after noticeable success, he achieved extraordinary success as a player with Aris Thessaloniki from 1984 to 1993, in partnership with Greek basketball's biggest star Nikos Galis along with the rest of the squad, while achieving victory as the national team captain in EuroBasket 1987 in Athens, Greece's first major tournament win in non-Olympic sport which, along with Aris' extraordinary success, cultivated the sport in the country. At the end of his career, he won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996 As head coach, he most prominently led Greece to its second European trophy in EuroBasket 2005 at Serbia and Montenegro, where a team of new and talented stars shone brightest under the nurturship of Giannakis. He would repeat the success the next year, acquiring the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, where the team most notably scored a decisive win against the USA stars of the NBA in the semi-final, which would be USMNBT's last loss in a tournament until 2019. However, Greece's arch rivals Spain would defeat Giannakis' team in the final, as they would do again in the semi-finals of the 2007 EuroBasket. Outside of the Greek national team, he would coach Greek clubs like Aris, where he had the most success as player, Olympiacos, where he achieved renewed success, and the China men's national basketball team. As a player, he was primarily a point guard, but he could also play at the shooting guard position. During his playing career, Giannakis was also widely-known under his nickname of "O Drákos" (Ο Δράκος), or "The Dragon" in English.[1][2][3][4]

Panagiotis Giannakis
Giannakis in 2009
Personal information
Born (1959-01-01) January 1, 1959 (age 65)
Nikaia, Attica, Greece
Listed height6 ft 3.75 in (1.92 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
CollegeHellenic College (1981–1982)
NBA draft1982: 9th round, 205th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1972–1996
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number5, 6, 8, 10
Coaching career1997–2018
Career history
As player:
1972–1984Ionikos Nikaias
1984–1993Aris
1993–1994Panionios
1994–1996Panathinaikos
As coach:
1997–1998Greece
2001–2002Panionios
2002–2006Maroussi
2004–2008Greece
2008–2010Olympiacos
2012–2013Limoges
2013–2014China
2017–2018Aris
Career highlights and awards
As a player:

As a head coach:

Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
FIBA Hall of Fame as player

On February 3, 2008, Giannakis was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, over the previous half-century, by EuroLeague Basketball's Experts Committee.[5] In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball.[6] In 2021, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.[7] In 2022, he was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.[8]

A true floor general, Giannakis began his club basketball playing career in Greece, with Ionikos Nikaias. After that, he before moved to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki, where he spent the most important part of his pro playing career. In Thessaloniki, he helped to lead "The Yellows" (Aris) to three consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances between 1988 and 1990, as well as to a FIBA European Cup (later renamed to Saporta Cup) title in 1993. In the summer of 1993, he was transferred to the Greek club Panionios Athens, and finally a year later, to the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens, with whom he won a EuroLeague championship in 1996.

Giannakis was, along with Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Fasoulas, and Fanis Christodoulou, one of the four main stars of the legendary late 1980s Greece men's national basketball team that put Greece on the world basketball map. He was Greece's team captain, when they won the gold medal at the EuroBasket of 1987, and were the silver-medalists at the same championship two years later. Furthermore, Giannakis was also an important member of the Greece men's national team, when they reached the EuroBasket's semifinals in 1993 and 1995, as well as the FIBA World Cup's semifinals in 1994.

After his playing career ended, Giannakis was the head coach of the Athenian professional club team, Maroussi Athens, which he led to the forefront of the Greek League. Giannakis was also the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus, which he led to the 2010 EuroLeague Final, and of the Greece men's national basketball team. Under Giannakis' guidance, the Greece men's national team won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket, and the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Cup in Japan, where Greece upset Team USA, by a score of 101–95. He was also the head coach of the senior Chinese national team.

Early years edit

Giannakis was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Nikaia, Athens. Ηis father Dimitris, hailed from Asia Minor, and was an owner of a motorbike workshop; his mother Kalliope, was a weaver. Giannakis is the youngest of five brothers.[9][10]

Giannakis started playing football around his neighborhood. He showed an early inclination to sports, and also tried the sport of basketball. He began watching the games of a local basketball club, and he was later approached by the head coach of the youth team of Ionikos Nikaias, who asked him to join their team.

Club playing career edit

Ionikos Nikaias edit

Giannakis began his club career with the youth teams of Ionikos Nikaias, in 1971. His first head coach, George Vassilakopoulos, moved Giannakis up to the club's senior men's first team, from the youth squad, in 1972, when he was at the age of just 13. The club was playing in the Greek 2nd Division at the time. In 1975, the club was promoted up to the top-tier level Greek First Division. Giannakis' exceptional play with Ionikos Nikaias, at such a young age, drew the eyes of pro basketball experts on him.

On January 24, 1981, Ionikos Nikaias, led by a then 22-year-old Giannakis, played against Aris Thessaloniki, which was led by Nikos Galis. Aris won in a tight game, by a score of 114–113. The game is memorable in the history of Greek pro club basketball, because in the game, Giannakis scored 73 points, and Galis scored 62 points,[11] as they achieved the second and fourth most points ever scored in a single game of the Greek League basketball championship.[12]

Boston Celtics edit

In 1981, the American basketball coach Dick Dukeshire, who had coached Giannakis with the senior Greek men's national team, asked Giannakis to move to the United States, to play college basketball at the Hellenic College. Dukeshire believed that Giannakis was good enough to play in the NBA. At that time, the Boston Celtics used the facilities of the Hellenic College's campus in Brookline, Massachusetts, for their training camp and practices. Dukeshire believed that if Gianankis was training with the school's team at the same time that the Celtics were there, that he had a chance to make the Celtics roster. Giannakis eventually agreed to move to the USA, and he joined the Hellenic College Owls team.[13][14]

While at training at Hellenic College, Giannakis was eventually noticed by the Celtics, and they invited him to join the team's 1981 summer league camp. However, during the summer training camp, Giannakis suffered a career-threatening knee injury that required multiple knee surgeries,[15] and a lot of rehab time. During the knee surgery operation, it was also decided by the surgeon performing the procedure, that Giannakis' ACL would have to be removed from his knee. Giannakis was told by the doctor that performed the surgery that he didn't think it was possible for him to play professional basketball again.[16] However, after ultimately recovering from his knee surgery, Giannakis went on to average 25 points per game with the Hellenic College Owls, during the 1981–82 season. After that, Giannakis then went back to Greece, where he finished the '81–'82 season with his previous club team, Ionikos Nikaias, in order to help them avoid a league relegation from Greece's top-tier level competition, the Greek Basket League.

Giannakis was ultimately selected by the Boston Celtics, in the 9th round of the 1982 NBA draft, with the 205th overall draft pick.[17][18] Giannakis then took part in the team's 1982–83 preseason training camp. About a week before the start of the regular season, the Celtics traded center Dave Cowens to the Milwaukee Bucks, in exchange for point guard Quinn Buckner, and due to that, they no longer had the need for another point guard. The Celtics then asked Giannakis to join their CBA affiliate team, as a way to test how he could adjust to the American style of basketball, with the chance for him to earn an NBA contract with the main team later on. However, Giannakis declined the offer, and returned to Greece, where he would play for the rest of his career.[19][20]

Aris Thessaloniki edit

On August 3, 1984, Giannakis transferred to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki, after the club paid a transfer fee contract buyout to Ionikos Nikaias for his player rights, in the amount of 42 million Greek Drachmas,[21] which was considered a huge amount of money for a transfer buyout at that time. Giannakis also personally received a BMW car, a sporting goods store, and an 8 million drachmas signing bonus from Aris. With Aris, Giannakis teamed up with Nikos Galis, to form one half of an historic "tag-team", that took both Greek and European basketball by storm, for the years to come. From the 6th of March 1985, to the 5th of November 1988, the backcourt duo of Galis and Giannakis, led Aris Thessaloniki to an 80-game winning streak in the Greek League.[22][23][24][25][26]

Giannakis' first season with Aris Thessaloniki, the 1984–85 season, was a great success. He won both the Greek League championship, and the Greek Cup title. In the final of the latter, Giannakis made 8-out-of-12 three-pointers, and led his team to victory over Panathinaikos Athens. And that was only the beginning, as six more consecutive Greek League championships, and five more Greek Cup titles with Aris were to follow.

With Aris Thessaloniki, Giannakis also took part in three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours. He played at the 1988 Ghent Final Four, at the 1989 Munich Final Four, and at the 1990 Zaragoza Final Four. Aris Thessloniki joined the elite of European basketball clubs at that time, but a European-wide title did not come for Giannakis and his team until a few years later.

In June 1991, Giannakis was chosen as a member of The Balkans Selection All-Star Team that played against The European Selection All-Star Team, at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee. The 1991 FIBA Jubilee event was held in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the sport of basketball in 1891, by the Canadian James Naismith. The FIBA Jubilee All-Star Game took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, in Piraeus, Athens, Greece, and it included numerous legends of European basketball. The Balkans' All-Star Selection won the game, by a score of 103–102.

In the 1992–93 season, Aris and Giannakis won the championship of the European-wide secondary-level FIBA European Cup competition, which later became known as the FIBA Saporta Cup. Aris beat the Turkish Super League club Efes Istanbul, by a score of 50–48 in the final, which was held in Turin. By then, Nikos Galis had already previously left Aris Thessaloniki, and joined Panathinaikos Athens, and Giannakis had become the de facto leader and franchise player of Aris.

Panionios Athens edit

In 1993, after spending nine seasons with Aris Thessaloniki, Giannakis moved to the Greek club Panionios Athens. With Panionios Athens, he averaged 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, in the Greek Basket League's 1993–94 season. In that same season, he also competed with the club in the European-wide third level competition, the FIBA Korać Cup. During the Korać Cup season, he averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.[27]

Panathinaikos Athens edit

After spending a season with Panionios Athens, Giannakis then moved to the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens, where he played from 1994 to 1996. It was with Panathinaikos Athens that he finished his club playing career. With Panathinaikos Athens, Giannakis finally won the championship of the top-level European-wide club competition, the FIBA EuroLeague. Panathinaikos and Giannakis won the title at the 1996 Paris Final Four. He also won the Greek Cup title with Panathinaikos Athens that same year. It was the seventh Greek Cup title that he had won in his playing career, to go along with his seven Greek League championships. Giannakis ended his pro club playing career in 1996. During his club playing career he competed in a total of five EuroLeague Final Fours, as he played in three with Aris Thessaloniki, and two with Panathinaikos Athens.

Overall, during his pro club career, Giannakis scored a total of 9,291 points, in 493 games played in the Greek Basket League, for a career scoring average of 18.8 points per game. While in the EuroLeague, he scored a total of 1,514 points, in 119 games played, for a career scoring average of 12.7 points per game.

National team playing career edit

Giannakis led the Greek under-16 junior national team to the silver medal at the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship of 1975. A year later, he debuted with the Greece men's national basketball team, as a 17-year-old, versus the Czechoslovakian national team. With Greece's junior national teams, he also played at the 1976 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and at the 1978 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.

Giannakis' first appearance with Greece at a major FIBA international tournament, was at the 1979 EuroBasket. He won gold medals at the 1979 Balkan Championship, and at the 1979 Mediterranean Games. Giannakis also represented Greece at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 1981 EuroBasket, the 1983 EuroBasket, the 1984 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and at the 1986 FIBA World Cup. With Greece, he won the gold medal at the 1986 Balkan Championship.

Giannakis was the team captain of the Greece men's national team that won the gold medal at the 1987 EuroBasket. He also played with Greece at the 1988 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He won the silver medal at the 1989 EuroBasket, and he also represented Greece at the 1990 FIBA World Cup.

Giannakis also represented Greece at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the creation of the sport of basketball, by the Canadian James Naismith. The Jubilee tournament took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. In three games played during the tournament, Giannakis averaged 14.3 points per game.

Galis also played with Greece at the following major tournaments: the 1991 EuroBasket, the 1992 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 1993 EuroBasket, the 1994 FIBA World Cup, and the 1995 EuroBasket. Gianankis retired from the Greece men's national team as a player, on August 2, 1996, after competing with Greece at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.

During his playing time with the Greece men's national team, Giannakis participated in 29 official FIBA international competitions, and in 40 official international competitions overall. Giannakis holds the all-time career record for the most caps with the Greece senior men's national team, with 351. That is also the all-time career record for any European national team. He also holds the all-time career record for the most total points scored with the Greece senior men's national team, with 5,301 points. That is also the all-time career record for any European national team.

Career as a head coach edit

National teams edit

Greece edit

Unconventionally, the very next year after he retired from playing with the Greece men's national team, Giannakis started his coaching career as the head coach of the Greece men's national basketball team, in 1997. He stayed the head coach of the Greece national team for two years. He led the team to a fourth-place finish at the 1997 EuroBasket, and to a fourth-place finish at the 1998 FIBA World Cup.

Giannakis returned to the head coach position of the Greece men's national team in 2004, for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, where he led the Greek team to a fifth-place finish. In the next year, under his coaching guidance, Greece won the 2005 EuroBasket gold medal, which marked the second time that Greece had won the EuroBasket title, and the first time they had won it since 1987. Giannakis became the first person to win the EuroBasket, both as a player (1987), and as a head coach (2005).

In 2006, he coached the Greece men's national team to a second-place finish at the 2006 FIBA World Cup. In the World Cup's semifinals, which were held on September 1, 2006, Giannakis' Greek team, beat the heavily favored Team USA, for the first time, by a score of 101–95. After 2006, Giannakis no longer simultaneously coached on both the professional club and national team levels, as he decided to focus his full attention on the Greece men's national team only. Giannakis' salary with the Greece men's national team, eventually reached an annual rate of €1.2 million net income.

At the 2007 EuroBasket, Giannakis led Greece to a fourth-place finish. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, he led Greece to a fifth-place finish. In December 2008, Giannakis ended his tenure as the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He was succeeded in that role by Jonas Kazlauskas.[28]

China edit

Giannakis was also the head coach of the senior men's Chinese national team. He coached China at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. China finished the tournament in fifth place.

Pro clubs edit

After starting his coaching career as the head coach of the Greek, Giannakis also moved into coaching in the professional club level. He coached the Greek League club Panionios Athens, until 2002, when he was then named the head coach of the Greek club Maroussi Athens. He stayed with Maroussi Athens until 2006. During his time with Maroussi Athens, along with the help of his young star point guard, named Vassilis Spanoulis, whose playing style and player attributes were often compared to Giannakis', he took the club from relative obscurity, and turned it into the third most prominent team in the Greek League, during that era.

On 3 February 2008, Giannakis signed on to be the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague power Olympiacos Piraeus. He signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the team, at an annual salary of 1.1 million net income. In June 2010, Olympiacos Piraeus announced that Giannakis would not coach their team in the next season.[29]

During the two-and-a-half year period that he coached Olympiacos Piraeus, Giannakis had led the team to the 2010 Greek Cup title, which was the team's first title won in eight years, and to three consecutive Greek League Finals appearances (2008, 2009, 2010). He also led the team to two consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances (2009 and 2010), which were the club's first EuroLeague Final Four appearances since the 1999 Final Four. Those two Final Four appearances also included a EuroLeague Finals appearance (2010).

After that, Giannakis worked as the head coach of the French League club Limoges, during the 2012–13 season. He became the head coach of the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki, in 2017.

Personal life edit

Giannakis is married to Eugenia, and he has two children, Kalliope and Dimitris. In 2010, he lost his brother (all four of his brothers died during a 10-year span) before an Olympiacos Piraeus rivalry derby with Panathinaikos Athens.[30]

Awards and accomplishments edit

(As a player):

Club career edit

Greece youth national team edit

Greece national team edit

(As a head coach):

Club career edit

Greek senior national team edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Is a Leader Allowed to Fail? The Story of the “Dragon”.
  2. ^ 'We didn't fight:' Coach rues China's lack of commitment on defense.
  3. ^ GIANNAKIS, UN «DRAGON» PRÊT À TOUT CROQUER (in French).
  4. ^ Le Dragon Giannakis n’a pas soufflé le show au Limoges CSP (in French).
  5. ^ EuroLeague official website, Experts decide European Club Basketball's 50 greatest contributors.
  6. ^ PANAGIOTIS GIANNAKIS.
  7. ^ FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 headlined by Daly, Giannakis, Messina.
  8. ^ Greek League Hall of Fame welcomes Ford, Bodiroga, Radja, Wilkins, Tarpley.
  9. ^ Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης Το ταξίδι του Δράκου
  10. ^ Bekas, Sotiris. (in Greek). .oasisfm.gr. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  11. ^ Euroleague.net My name is Giannakis. Panayotis Giannakis.
  12. ^ Greek Basket League statistical leaders
  13. ^ HELLENIC COLLEGE OWLS: 1979-81.
  14. ^ Attitude defines Giannis Antetokounmpo more than altitude.
  15. ^ Όταν ο Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης γκρέμισε τα 'δέντρα' της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης (in Greek).
  16. ^ Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης: Το μπάσκετ, ο τραυματισμός, ο Γκάλης και τα 38 χρόνια γάμου (in Greek).
  17. ^ 1982 NBA Draft.
  18. ^ TheDraftReview.com Panagiotis Giannakis.
  19. ^ Ο Γιαννάκης και οι… Μπόστον Σέλτικς! (photos) (in Greek).
  20. ^ Π. Γιαννάκης: Το 1981 πήγα σε Boston Celtics – Στεναχωριόμουν που ο Γκάλης δεν ήταν το ίδιο ομαδικός” (videos) (in Greek).
  21. ^ "Σεισμός στην Θεσσαλονίκη, ο Γιαννάκης στον Άρη" (in Greek).
  22. ^ Η επανάληψη στη Ν. Σμύρνη και το αήττητο σερί του Άρη (in Greek).
  23. ^ Οι 80 σερί νίκες του «αυτοκράτορα» (in Greek).
  24. ^ Αυτοκράτορας 80 σερί νικών, αήττητος για 44 μήνες! Σαν σήμερα 31 χρόνια πριν ξεκινούσε το μεγαλύτερο σερί στην ιστορία της Α1! (in Greek).
  25. ^ Το… αιώνιο ρεκόρ του 80-0!!! (in Greek).
  26. ^ Ο Αυτοκράτορας ΑΡΗΣ και το αήττητο σερί των 44 μηνών (in Greek).
  27. ^ PANAGIOTIS GIANNAKIS PANIONIOS BC ATHENS AVERAGE.
  28. ^ Giannakis era is over. 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ . euroleague.net. 2010-06-18. Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  30. ^ (in Greek). kathimerini.gr. 2010-03-02. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  31. ^ Euroleague.net Panagiotis Giannakis - The Greek Dragon.
  32. ^ Τα “κανόνια” του ελληνικού Πρωταθλήματος: Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης (in Greek).
  33. ^ Σελίδα Αθλητή Ημ.Γεν: (in Greek).
  34. ^ Σελίδα Αθλητή Ημ.Γεν: (in Greek). (in Greek).
  35. ^ Στατιστικά Εθνικής Ανδρών Οι 50 πρώτοι σε συμμετοχές (in Greek).
  36. ^ Στατιστικά Εθνικής Ανδρών Οι 50 πρώτοι σκόρερς (in Greek).

External links edit

  • FIBA Player Profile
  • FIBA Europe Player Profile
  • Greek Basket League Profile (in Greek)
  • Hellenic Basketball Federation Profile (in Greek)
  • 1982 NBA Draft Profile
  • 101 Greats: Panagiotis Giannakis
  • Τα “κανόνια” του ελληνικού Πρωταθλήματος: Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης (in Greek)
  • Panagiotis Giannakis' career in a short video

panagiotis, giannakis, panagiotis, notis, giannakis, greek, Παναγιώτης, Νότης, Γιαννάκης, pronounced, panaˈʝotiz, ʝaˈnacis, born, january, 1959, alternatively, spelled, panayiotis, yiannakis, yannakis, former, greek, professional, basketball, player, coach, co. Panagiotis Notis Giannakis Greek Panagiwths Noths Giannakhs pronounced panaˈʝotiz ʝaˈnacis born January 1 1959 alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece He started his senior career at the age of just 13 at Ionikos Nikaias and after noticeable success he achieved extraordinary success as a player with Aris Thessaloniki from 1984 to 1993 in partnership with Greek basketball s biggest star Nikos Galis along with the rest of the squad while achieving victory as the national team captain in EuroBasket 1987 in Athens Greece s first major tournament win in non Olympic sport which along with Aris extraordinary success cultivated the sport in the country At the end of his career he won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996 As head coach he most prominently led Greece to its second European trophy in EuroBasket 2005 at Serbia and Montenegro where a team of new and talented stars shone brightest under the nurturship of Giannakis He would repeat the success the next year acquiring the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan where the team most notably scored a decisive win against the USA stars of the NBA in the semi final which would be USMNBT s last loss in a tournament until 2019 However Greece s arch rivals Spain would defeat Giannakis team in the final as they would do again in the semi finals of the 2007 EuroBasket Outside of the Greek national team he would coach Greek clubs like Aris where he had the most success as player Olympiacos where he achieved renewed success and the China men s national basketball team As a player he was primarily a point guard but he could also play at the shooting guard position During his playing career Giannakis was also widely known under his nickname of O Drakos O Drakos or The Dragon in English 1 2 3 4 Panagiotis GiannakisGiannakis in 2009Personal informationBorn 1959 01 01 January 1 1959 age 65 Nikaia Attica GreeceListed height6 ft 3 75 in 1 92 m Listed weight216 lb 98 kg Career informationCollegeHellenic College 1981 1982 NBA draft1982 9th round 205th overall pickSelected by the Boston CelticsPlaying career1972 1996PositionPoint guard shooting guardNumber5 6 8 10Coaching career1997 2018Career historyAs player 1972 1984Ionikos Nikaias1984 1993Aris1993 1994Panionios1994 1996PanathinaikosAs coach 1997 1998Greece2001 2002Panionios2002 2006Maroussi2004 2008Greece2008 2010Olympiacos2012 2013Limoges2013 2014China2017 2018ArisCareer highlights and awardsAs a player EuroLeague champion 1996 4 FIBA European Selection 1980 1987 1990 1991 I 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors 2008 101 Greats of European Basketball 2018 FIBA Saporta Cup champion 1993 7 Greek League champion 1985 1991 7 Greek Cup winner 1985 1987 1990 1992 1996 Greek Super Cup winner 1986 Greek League Top Scorer 1980 4 Greek All Star 1991 1994 I 1994 II 1996 I Greek League assist leader 1989 2 Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer 1985 1988 Greek 2nd Division champion 1975 Greek League Hall of Fame 2022 As a head coach Greek Cup winner 2010 FIBA EuroStar 2007 2 All Greek Sports Coach of the Year 2005 2006 2 Greek League Coach of the Year 2004 2006 Stats at Basketball Reference comFIBA Hall of Fame as playerMedals Event 1st 2nd 3rdFIBA EuroBasket 1 1 0Mediterranean Games 1 0 0Balkan Championship 2 1 4FIBA U 16 European Championship 0 1 0Total 4 3 4Men s basketballRepresenting GreeceFIBA EuroBasket1987 Greece1989 YugoslaviaMediterranean Games1979 YugoslaviaBalkan Championship1979 Greece1986 Bulgaria1983 Yugoslavia1976 Bulgaria1977 Yugoslavia1980 Romania1984 GreeceFIBA Europe Under 16 Championship1975 Greece Under 16Head Coach for GreeceFIBA World Cup2006 JapanFIBA Stankovic World Cup2006 ChinaFIBA EuroBasket2005 Serbia amp MontenegroOn February 3 2008 Giannakis was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors over the previous half century by EuroLeague Basketball s Experts Committee 5 In 2018 he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball 6 In 2021 he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame 7 In 2022 he was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame 8 A true floor general Giannakis began his club basketball playing career in Greece with Ionikos Nikaias After that he before moved to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki where he spent the most important part of his pro playing career In Thessaloniki he helped to lead The Yellows Aris to three consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances between 1988 and 1990 as well as to a FIBA European Cup later renamed to Saporta Cup title in 1993 In the summer of 1993 he was transferred to the Greek club Panionios Athens and finally a year later to the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens with whom he won a EuroLeague championship in 1996 Giannakis was along with Nikos Galis Panagiotis Fasoulas and Fanis Christodoulou one of the four main stars of the legendary late 1980s Greece men s national basketball team that put Greece on the world basketball map He was Greece s team captain when they won the gold medal at the EuroBasket of 1987 and were the silver medalists at the same championship two years later Furthermore Giannakis was also an important member of the Greece men s national team when they reached the EuroBasket s semifinals in 1993 and 1995 as well as the FIBA World Cup s semifinals in 1994 After his playing career ended Giannakis was the head coach of the Athenian professional club team Maroussi Athens which he led to the forefront of the Greek League Giannakis was also the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus which he led to the 2010 EuroLeague Final and of the Greece men s national basketball team Under Giannakis guidance the Greece men s national team won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket and the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Cup in Japan where Greece upset Team USA by a score of 101 95 He was also the head coach of the senior Chinese national team Contents 1 Early years 2 Club playing career 2 1 Ionikos Nikaias 2 2 Boston Celtics 2 3 Aris Thessaloniki 2 4 Panionios Athens 2 5 Panathinaikos Athens 3 National team playing career 4 Career as a head coach 4 1 National teams 4 1 1 Greece 4 1 2 China 4 2 Pro clubs 5 Personal life 6 Awards and accomplishments 6 1 Club career 6 2 Greece youth national team 6 3 Greece national team 6 4 Club career 6 5 Greek senior national team 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly years editGiannakis was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Nikaia Athens His father Dimitris hailed from Asia Minor and was an owner of a motorbike workshop his mother Kalliope was a weaver Giannakis is the youngest of five brothers 9 10 Giannakis started playing football around his neighborhood He showed an early inclination to sports and also tried the sport of basketball He began watching the games of a local basketball club and he was later approached by the head coach of the youth team of Ionikos Nikaias who asked him to join their team Club playing career editIonikos Nikaias edit Giannakis began his club career with the youth teams of Ionikos Nikaias in 1971 His first head coach George Vassilakopoulos moved Giannakis up to the club s senior men s first team from the youth squad in 1972 when he was at the age of just 13 The club was playing in the Greek 2nd Division at the time In 1975 the club was promoted up to the top tier level Greek First Division Giannakis exceptional play with Ionikos Nikaias at such a young age drew the eyes of pro basketball experts on him On January 24 1981 Ionikos Nikaias led by a then 22 year old Giannakis played against Aris Thessaloniki which was led by Nikos Galis Aris won in a tight game by a score of 114 113 The game is memorable in the history of Greek pro club basketball because in the game Giannakis scored 73 points and Galis scored 62 points 11 as they achieved the second and fourth most points ever scored in a single game of the Greek League basketball championship 12 Boston Celtics edit In 1981 the American basketball coach Dick Dukeshire who had coached Giannakis with the senior Greek men s national team asked Giannakis to move to the United States to play college basketball at the Hellenic College Dukeshire believed that Giannakis was good enough to play in the NBA At that time the Boston Celtics used the facilities of the Hellenic College s campus in Brookline Massachusetts for their training camp and practices Dukeshire believed that if Gianankis was training with the school s team at the same time that the Celtics were there that he had a chance to make the Celtics roster Giannakis eventually agreed to move to the USA and he joined the Hellenic College Owls team 13 14 While at training at Hellenic College Giannakis was eventually noticed by the Celtics and they invited him to join the team s 1981 summer league camp However during the summer training camp Giannakis suffered a career threatening knee injury that required multiple knee surgeries 15 and a lot of rehab time During the knee surgery operation it was also decided by the surgeon performing the procedure that Giannakis ACL would have to be removed from his knee Giannakis was told by the doctor that performed the surgery that he didn t think it was possible for him to play professional basketball again 16 However after ultimately recovering from his knee surgery Giannakis went on to average 25 points per game with the Hellenic College Owls during the 1981 82 season After that Giannakis then went back to Greece where he finished the 81 82 season with his previous club team Ionikos Nikaias in order to help them avoid a league relegation from Greece s top tier level competition the Greek Basket League Giannakis was ultimately selected by the Boston Celtics in the 9th round of the 1982 NBA draft with the 205th overall draft pick 17 18 Giannakis then took part in the team s 1982 83 preseason training camp About a week before the start of the regular season the Celtics traded center Dave Cowens to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for point guard Quinn Buckner and due to that they no longer had the need for another point guard The Celtics then asked Giannakis to join their CBA affiliate team as a way to test how he could adjust to the American style of basketball with the chance for him to earn an NBA contract with the main team later on However Giannakis declined the offer and returned to Greece where he would play for the rest of his career 19 20 Aris Thessaloniki edit On August 3 1984 Giannakis transferred to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki after the club paid a transfer fee contract buyout to Ionikos Nikaias for his player rights in the amount of 42 million Greek Drachmas 21 which was considered a huge amount of money for a transfer buyout at that time Giannakis also personally received a BMW car a sporting goods store and an 8 million drachmas signing bonus from Aris With Aris Giannakis teamed up with Nikos Galis to form one half of an historic tag team that took both Greek and European basketball by storm for the years to come From the 6th of March 1985 to the 5th of November 1988 the backcourt duo of Galis and Giannakis led Aris Thessaloniki to an 80 game winning streak in the Greek League 22 23 24 25 26 Giannakis first season with Aris Thessaloniki the 1984 85 season was a great success He won both the Greek League championship and the Greek Cup title In the final of the latter Giannakis made 8 out of 12 three pointers and led his team to victory over Panathinaikos Athens And that was only the beginning as six more consecutive Greek League championships and five more Greek Cup titles with Aris were to follow With Aris Thessaloniki Giannakis also took part in three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours He played at the 1988 Ghent Final Four at the 1989 Munich Final Four and at the 1990 Zaragoza Final Four Aris Thessloniki joined the elite of European basketball clubs at that time but a European wide title did not come for Giannakis and his team until a few years later In June 1991 Giannakis was chosen as a member of The Balkans Selection All Star Team that played against The European Selection All Star Team at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee The 1991 FIBA Jubilee event was held in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the sport of basketball in 1891 by the Canadian James Naismith The FIBA Jubilee All Star Game took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus Athens Greece and it included numerous legends of European basketball The Balkans All Star Selection won the game by a score of 103 102 In the 1992 93 season Aris and Giannakis won the championship of the European wide secondary level FIBA European Cup competition which later became known as the FIBA Saporta Cup Aris beat the Turkish Super League club Efes Istanbul by a score of 50 48 in the final which was held in Turin By then Nikos Galis had already previously left Aris Thessaloniki and joined Panathinaikos Athens and Giannakis had become the de facto leader and franchise player of Aris Panionios Athens edit In 1993 after spending nine seasons with Aris Thessaloniki Giannakis moved to the Greek club Panionios Athens With Panionios Athens he averaged 14 0 points 3 6 rebounds 3 3 assists and 1 4 steals per game in the Greek Basket League s 1993 94 season In that same season he also competed with the club in the European wide third level competition the FIBA Korac Cup During the Korac Cup season he averaged 17 0 points 3 7 rebounds 3 4 assists and 2 0 steals per game 27 Panathinaikos Athens edit After spending a season with Panionios Athens Giannakis then moved to the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens where he played from 1994 to 1996 It was with Panathinaikos Athens that he finished his club playing career With Panathinaikos Athens Giannakis finally won the championship of the top level European wide club competition the FIBA EuroLeague Panathinaikos and Giannakis won the title at the 1996 Paris Final Four He also won the Greek Cup title with Panathinaikos Athens that same year It was the seventh Greek Cup title that he had won in his playing career to go along with his seven Greek League championships Giannakis ended his pro club playing career in 1996 During his club playing career he competed in a total of five EuroLeague Final Fours as he played in three with Aris Thessaloniki and two with Panathinaikos Athens Overall during his pro club career Giannakis scored a total of 9 291 points in 493 games played in the Greek Basket League for a career scoring average of 18 8 points per game While in the EuroLeague he scored a total of 1 514 points in 119 games played for a career scoring average of 12 7 points per game National team playing career editGiannakis led the Greek under 16 junior national team to the silver medal at the FIBA Europe Under 16 Championship of 1975 A year later he debuted with the Greece men s national basketball team as a 17 year old versus the Czechoslovakian national team With Greece s junior national teams he also played at the 1976 FIBA Europe Under 18 Championship and at the 1978 FIBA Europe Under 18 Championship Giannakis first appearance with Greece at a major FIBA international tournament was at the 1979 EuroBasket He won gold medals at the 1979 Balkan Championship and at the 1979 Mediterranean Games Giannakis also represented Greece at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament the 1981 EuroBasket the 1983 EuroBasket the 1984 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament and at the 1986 FIBA World Cup With Greece he won the gold medal at the 1986 Balkan Championship Giannakis was the team captain of the Greece men s national team that won the gold medal at the 1987 EuroBasket He also played with Greece at the 1988 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament He won the silver medal at the 1989 EuroBasket and he also represented Greece at the 1990 FIBA World Cup Giannakis also represented Greece at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the creation of the sport of basketball by the Canadian James Naismith The Jubilee tournament took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus Athens Greece In three games played during the tournament Giannakis averaged 14 3 points per game Galis also played with Greece at the following major tournaments the 1991 EuroBasket the 1992 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament the 1993 EuroBasket the 1994 FIBA World Cup and the 1995 EuroBasket Gianankis retired from the Greece men s national team as a player on August 2 1996 after competing with Greece at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics During his playing time with the Greece men s national team Giannakis participated in 29 official FIBA international competitions and in 40 official international competitions overall Giannakis holds the all time career record for the most caps with the Greece senior men s national team with 351 That is also the all time career record for any European national team He also holds the all time career record for the most total points scored with the Greece senior men s national team with 5 301 points That is also the all time career record for any European national team Career as a head coach editNational teams edit Greece edit Unconventionally the very next year after he retired from playing with the Greece men s national team Giannakis started his coaching career as the head coach of the Greece men s national basketball team in 1997 He stayed the head coach of the Greece national team for two years He led the team to a fourth place finish at the 1997 EuroBasket and to a fourth place finish at the 1998 FIBA World Cup Giannakis returned to the head coach position of the Greece men s national team in 2004 for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics where he led the Greek team to a fifth place finish In the next year under his coaching guidance Greece won the 2005 EuroBasket gold medal which marked the second time that Greece had won the EuroBasket title and the first time they had won it since 1987 Giannakis became the first person to win the EuroBasket both as a player 1987 and as a head coach 2005 In 2006 he coached the Greece men s national team to a second place finish at the 2006 FIBA World Cup In the World Cup s semifinals which were held on September 1 2006 Giannakis Greek team beat the heavily favored Team USA for the first time by a score of 101 95 After 2006 Giannakis no longer simultaneously coached on both the professional club and national team levels as he decided to focus his full attention on the Greece men s national team only Giannakis salary with the Greece men s national team eventually reached an annual rate of 1 2 million net income At the 2007 EuroBasket Giannakis led Greece to a fourth place finish At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics he led Greece to a fifth place finish In December 2008 Giannakis ended his tenure as the head coach of Greece s senior national team He was succeeded in that role by Jonas Kazlauskas 28 China edit Giannakis was also the head coach of the senior men s Chinese national team He coached China at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship China finished the tournament in fifth place Pro clubs edit After starting his coaching career as the head coach of the Greek Giannakis also moved into coaching in the professional club level He coached the Greek League club Panionios Athens until 2002 when he was then named the head coach of the Greek club Maroussi Athens He stayed with Maroussi Athens until 2006 During his time with Maroussi Athens along with the help of his young star point guard named Vassilis Spanoulis whose playing style and player attributes were often compared to Giannakis he took the club from relative obscurity and turned it into the third most prominent team in the Greek League during that era On 3 February 2008 Giannakis signed on to be the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague power Olympiacos Piraeus He signed a two and a half year contract with the team at an annual salary of 1 1 million net income In June 2010 Olympiacos Piraeus announced that Giannakis would not coach their team in the next season 29 During the two and a half year period that he coached Olympiacos Piraeus Giannakis had led the team to the 2010 Greek Cup title which was the team s first title won in eight years and to three consecutive Greek League Finals appearances 2008 2009 2010 He also led the team to two consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances 2009 and 2010 which were the club s first EuroLeague Final Four appearances since the 1999 Final Four Those two Final Four appearances also included a EuroLeague Finals appearance 2010 After that Giannakis worked as the head coach of the French League club Limoges during the 2012 13 season He became the head coach of the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki in 2017 Personal life editGiannakis is married to Eugenia and he has two children Kalliope and Dimitris In 2010 he lost his brother all four of his brothers died during a 10 year span before an Olympiacos Piraeus rivalry derby with Panathinaikos Athens 30 Awards and accomplishments edit As a player Club career edit Greek 2nd Division Champion 1975 Greek League Top Scorer 1980 4 FIBA European Selection 1980 1987 1990 1991 I 2 Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer 1985 1988 Greek League Assist leader 1989 His personal best for points scored in a single game was 73 points scored 31 in 1981 as a player of Ionikos Nikaias which ironically occurred against Aris his future team Selected by the NBA professional club the Boston Celtics in the 1982 NBA draft Won 17 first tier titles in his pro club career EuroLeague champion 1996 FIBA European Cup Saporta Cup Champion 1993 7 Consecutive Greek League Champion 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 7 Greek Cup Winner 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1992 1996 Greek Super Cup Winner 1986 4 Greek League All Star 1991 1994 I 1994 II 1996 I Along with Nikos Galis he led Aris to an 80 game winning streak in the Greek League in the 1980s When he retired from his club playing career he held the record for the most games played in the Greek Basketball Championship 493 He scored 9 291 points in the Greek Basketball Championship counting all league formats since the 1963 64 season 3rd all time 32 EuroLeague s 50th anniversary 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors List 2008 101 Greats of European Basketball 2018 FIBA Hall of Fame 2021 Greek Basket League Hall of Fame 2022 Greece youth national team edit 1975 FIBA Europe Under 16 Championship nbsp SilverGreece national team edit 1976 Balkan Championship nbsp Bronze 1977 Balkan Championship nbsp Bronze 1979 Balkan Championship nbsp Gold 1979 Mediterranean Games nbsp Gold 1980 Balkan Championship nbsp Bronze 1983 Balkan Championship nbsp Silver 1984 Balkan Championship nbsp Bronze 1986 Balkan Championship nbsp Gold 1987 EuroBasket nbsp Gold 1989 EuroBasket nbsp Silver Greece national team record holder for most caps men s and senior men s combined with 403 33 Greece national team record holder for most points scored men s and senior men s combined with 6 291 34 Greek senior national team record holder for most caps with 351 35 Greece national team record holder for most points scored with 5 301 36 FIBA Europe record holder for most senior national team caps with 351 FIBA Europe record holder for most senior national team points scored with 5 301 As a head coach Club career edit 2 Greek League Best Coach 2004 2006 FIBA EuroStar 2007 Greek Cup Winner 2010 Greek senior national team edit 2005 EuroBasket nbsp Gold 2 Best Sports Coach in Greece 2005 2006 2006 Stankovic World Cup nbsp Gold 2006 FIBA World Cup nbsp Silver He is the only person to win the FIBA EuroBasket both as a player 1987 and as a head coach 2005 See also editList of FIBA EuroBasket winning head coachesReferences edit Is a Leader Allowed to Fail The Story of the Dragon We didn t fight Coach rues China s lack of commitment on defense GIANNAKIS UN DRAGON PRET A TOUT CROQUER in French Le Dragon Giannakis n a pas souffle le show au Limoges CSP in French EuroLeague official website Experts decide European Club Basketball s 50 greatest contributors PANAGIOTIS GIANNAKIS FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 headlined by Daly Giannakis Messina Greek League Hall of Fame welcomes Ford Bodiroga Radja Wilkins Tarpley Panagiwths Giannakhs To ta3idi toy Drakoy Bekas Sotiris Panagiwths Giannakhs Agwnisths me pelwria kardia in Greek oasisfm gr Archived from the original on 12 June 2011 Retrieved 18 June 2010 Euroleague net My name is Giannakis Panayotis Giannakis Greek Basket League statistical leaders HELLENIC COLLEGE OWLS 1979 81 Attitude defines Giannis Antetokounmpo more than altitude Otan o Panagiwths Giannakhs gkremise ta dentra ths Sobietikhs Enwshs in Greek Panagiwths Giannakhs To mpasket o traymatismos o Gkalhs kai ta 38 xronia gamoy in Greek 1982 NBA Draft TheDraftReview com Panagiotis Giannakis O Giannakhs kai oi Mposton Seltiks photos in Greek P Giannakhs To 1981 phga se Boston Celtics Stenaxwriomoyn poy o Gkalhs den htan to idio omadikos videos in Greek Seismos sthn 8essalonikh o Giannakhs ston Arh in Greek H epanalhpsh sth N Smyrnh kai to ahtthto seri toy Arh in Greek Oi 80 seri nikes toy aytokratora in Greek Aytokratoras 80 seri nikwn ahtthtos gia 44 mhnes San shmera 31 xronia prin 3ekinoyse to megalytero seri sthn istoria ths A1 in Greek To aiwnio rekor toy 80 0 in Greek O Aytokratoras ARHS kai to ahtthto seri twn 44 mhnwn in Greek PANAGIOTIS GIANNAKIS PANIONIOS BC ATHENS AVERAGE Giannakis era is over Archived 2008 12 06 at the Wayback Machine OLYMPIACOS coach Giannakis part ways euroleague net 2010 06 18 Archived from the original on 2010 07 24 Retrieved 12 February 2023 H moira xtyphse gia tetarth fora in Greek kathimerini gr 2010 03 02 Archived from the original on 25 February 2012 Retrieved 18 June 2010 Euroleague net Panagiotis Giannakis The Greek Dragon Ta kanonia toy ellhnikoy Prwta8lhmatos Panagiwths Giannakhs in Greek Selida A8lhth Hm Gen in Greek Selida A8lhth Hm Gen in Greek in Greek Statistika E8nikhs Andrwn Oi 50 prwtoi se symmetoxes in Greek Statistika E8nikhs Andrwn Oi 50 prwtoi skorers in Greek External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panagiotis Giannakis FIBA Player Profile FIBA Europe Player Profile Greek Basket League Profile in Greek Hellenic Basketball Federation Profile in Greek 1982 NBA Draft Profile 101 Greats Panagiotis Giannakis Ta kanonia toy ellhnikoy Prwta8lhmatos Panagiwths Giannakhs in Greek Panagiotis Giannakis career in a short video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Panagiotis Giannakis amp oldid 1215010621, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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