Famous Greek Basketball Players

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. He’s called ‘Greek Freak’ as he hails from Greece and also due to his size, speed and ball-handling skills. He was named NBA’s Most Valuable Player twice and NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. He represents Greece at the international level.

Kurt Rambis was initially drafted by the New York Knicks, he was later waived and debuted as part of the Greek club AEK Athens instead. He later won 4 NBA championships with the LA Lakers and coached both the Lakers and the Knicks.

Born to Greek parents in Ohio, basketball player Kosta Koufos has had a long stint of over a decade with the NBA, playing for teams such as the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies. The reliable center has also played for Russian and Greek clubs and is known for his towering 7-foot frame.

Known to his fans as Kill Bill and V-Span, Greek basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis also turns heads with his 6’4” frame. He has spent most of his career playing for the Greek club Olympiacos and is a 3-time EuroLeague champion. He has also played for the NBA team Houston Rockets.

Tyler Dorsey is a Greek-American basketball player who usually takes the shooting guard position, thanks to his height of 1.96 m. In 2020 and 2021, he helped his team Maccabi Tel Aviv win the Israeli Basketball Premier League. In 2022, he was part of Olympiacos B.C., a team that won the prestigious Greek Basketball Cup.

Though born and trained in the US, Nick Calathes now plays for the national basketball team of Greece. He also plays for Barcelona. Nick began his career with Florida University, and in spite of being drafted by the NBA, he gained recognition by winning the Greek League with Panathinaikos.

Legendary Greek basketball player Nikos Galis, or The Basketball Gangster, led Greece to the 1987 Eurobasket Championship victory. Galis also made it to FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players list in 1991. He was one of the rare players to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame without representing the NBA.

Georgios Papagiannis is a Greek basketball player who has played for popular NBA teams like Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers. A superstar in Greek basketball leagues, Papagiannis is a four-time Greek Cup winner and two-time Greek League champion. Georgios Papagiannis is also an important player for his national team.

Kostas Papanikolaou has previously been part of the NBA teams Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets. Now a small forward for the Greek club Olympiacos, he has won 2 Euro League and 2 Greek League championships with the team. His 6’8” frame has also been a great advantage.

Sofoklis Schortsanitis is a Greek former basketball player who helped the Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club win the 2014 EuroLeague title. He was also an important member of Greek national team and represented his country in the 2006 FIBA World Championship where he helped Greece win the silver medal. Sofoklis Schortsanitis is also a two-time Greek Cup winner.

Dimitris Diamantidis is a Greek retired basketball player known for his association with Panathinaikos Athens where he spent the last 12 seasons of his illustrious EuroLeague career. A three-time EuroLeague champion, Diamantidis was named EuroLeague MVP in 2011 and holds the record for the highest number of steals in EuroLeague history. Dimitris Diamantidis is counted among the greatest European basketball players.

Zach Auguste is a Greek-American basketball player who has won two Greek League titles so far. He also won a Greek Cup as well as a Slovenian Cup in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He currently plays for the Slovenia club, Cedevita Olimpija.

Canadian shooting guard/point guard Naz Mitrou-Long is best known for his stint with the Italian Lega Basket Serie A team Germani Brescia. Once named the 7th-best Canadian player, he has also played for the Sacramento Kings. The son of a Trinidadian father and a Greek-Canadian mother, he also has a basketball player brother.

Georgios Printezis is a basketball player and the current captain for Olympiacos. He won two consecutive EuroLeague titles with the team in 2012 and 2013. Printezis' game-winning shot in the 2012 EuroLeague Final is considered one of the best moments in EuroLeague history. An important player for Greece, Printezis helped his team win the bronze medal at the 2009 EuroBasket.

Kostas Sloukas is a Greek basketball player who has participated in six EuroLeague Finals out of which he has won three titles. He is also a two-time Greek League Champion and two-time Greek Cup Winner with the popular Greek club Olympiacos. Sloukas has also played for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe for which he has won three Turkish Super League titles.

Ioannis Bourousis is a Greek basketball player who helped his national team win the gold medal at the 2005 FIBA European Championship. He also played an important role in Greece's bronze medal-winning performance at EuroBasket 2009. A six-time Greek League All-Star, Ioannis Bourousis has won several league titles like EuroLeague Championship, Greek League Championship, Greek Cup, and Spanish League Championship.

Stratos Perperoglou is a Greek former basketball player who represented the Greece national team that won the bronze medal at the 2009 EuroBasket in Poland. Over the years, Perperoglou has also been an important player for popular clubs and is a six-time Greek League All-Star. 

Georgios Bartzokas is a Greek former basketball player. He is best known for his achievements as a coach. In 2013, Bartzokas' team Olympiacos won the EuroLeague title, making him the first Greek head coach to win the prestigious title. Bartzokas was named the Greek Basket League Best Coach in 2010. In 2013, he was adjudged EuroLeague Coach of the Year.

Theodoros Papaloukas is a Greek former basketball player who played a major role in Greece's triumph at the 2005 EuroBasket. He also won the silver medal for Greece at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. A two-time EuroLeague champion, Papaloukas was named EuroLeague MVP in 2007. In 2008, he was named among 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors by EuroLeague Basketball's Experts Committee.

Ioannis Papapetrou is a Greek basketball player and the current captain for Panathinaikos. A five-time Greek League champion, Papapetrou was named Greek League MVP in 2021. The same year, he was also adjudged Greek Cup MVP after having won his second Greek Cup. In 2021, Ioannis Papapetrou also went on to win the Greek Super Cup.

Nikos Zisis is a Greek former basketball player who played at both the shooting guard and point guard positions, thanks to his height of 1.97 m. A four-time Italian League champion, Nikos Zisis was also an important player for his national team, winning gold, silver, and bronze at the 2005 EuroBasket, 2006 FIBA World Championship, and 2009 EuroBasket, respectively.

Panagiotis Giannakis is a Greek former basketball player who helped Panathinaikos Athens win the EuroLeague in 1996. A seven-time Greek Cup winner and seven-time Greek League champion, Giannakis was named Greek League MVP and Greek League Top Scorer in 1987 and 1980 respectively. In 2008, he was named among the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors by EuroLeague Basketball's Experts Committee.

Dimitrios Agravanis is a Greek basketball player who has played for popular teams like Olympiacos and Promitheas Patras. During his time with Olympiacos, Agravanis won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2013 as well as two Greek League Championship titles. In 2020, he won the Greek Super Cup while playing for Promitheas Patras.

Nikos Pappas is a basketball player and the captain for AEK Athens. A five-time Greek League champion, Pappas is also a four-time Greek League All-Star. He has also won the Greek Cup on five occasions so far. Pappas was an important player for the Greece U-18, U-19, and U-20 team, winning the European Championship with the U-18 and U-20 team.

Ioannis Sfairopoulos was 12 when he began his youth basketball career with Apollon Kalamarias. However, he retired at 21, starting his coaching career soon after. Throughout his illustrious career, he has trained Greek clubs such as Olympiacos and has led the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv to 3 Israeli League titles.

Dinos Mitoglou is a Greek basketball player who plays in popular leagues like EuroLeague and the Italian LBA. A four-time Greek League champion, Mitoglou was named a Greek League All-Star as well as a Greek League All-Star Game MVP in 2020. Dinos Mitoglou is also a two-time Greek Cup winner.

Jake Tsakalidis is a Georgian-born Greek retired basketball player who represented the Greek national team in important tournaments like the 1998 FIBA World Championship, the EuroBasket 1999, and the EuroBasket 2003. He also played for popular NBA teams like Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets during his illustrious playing career. 

Loukas Mavrokefalidis is a Greek basketball player who plays in prominent leagues like the NBA and Greek A2 Basket League. A four-time Greek Cup winner, Mavrokefalidis was named the Greek Cup MVP in 2015. He has also been named a Greek League All Star on five occasions. Loukas Mavrokefalidis was part of the Greek national team at EuroBasket 2013.

Slovenian basketball sensation Rasho Nesterović began his senior career with the Serbian club Partizan and later had a successful NBA career, playing with teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors. While playing for the Greek club PAOK, he changed his name to Radoslav "Rasho" Makris.

Slobodan Subotić is a Slovenian professional basketball coach. He began his career as a player and was a five-time Greek League champion with the club Aris. He was also a five-time Greek Cup winner. He later became a coach and went on to serve as the head coach for Budućnost of the ABA League and Montenegrin League.  

Vasilis Kikilias is a Greek politician and the current Minister for Tourism. He also served as the Minister for Public Order and Citizen Protection from 2014 to 2015 and then served as Minister for Health from 2019 to 2021. A retired professional basketball player, Kikilias played for clubs like Ionikos Nikaias B.C., and has also represented the Greek national team.