Dimitris Diamantidis ( el, Δημήτρης Διαμαντίδης ; born May 6, 1980) is a retired Greek professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player, who spent the last twelve seasons of his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos, where he last served as the team's

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. Widely regarded as one of the greatest European players ever to grace the game, he marked his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague, serving as an inspiration to a whole generation of young European stars. He is the only player to have earned all four aforementioned EuroLeague end-of-season distinctions, even more so in a single year. Diamantidis is the only Greek player who is member of both EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team and EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. 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 Gymnasticos Syllogos Iraklis ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής, en, Gymnastics Club Heracles), commonly referred to as Iraklis, is a Greek multi-sports club based in Thessaloniki. The club was founded in 1908 as "Ma ...

, 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 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, 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 The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selections, as well as a record six EuroLeague Best Defender Awards. He is the EuroLeague's all-time leader in steals 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 The EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award is an award that is given by the Euroleague Basketball Company, the organizer of the EuroLeague, which is the top-tier level professional basketball competition in Europe. It is awarded only to a very dis ...

. 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 The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

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 helped relieve tension between the two powerhouses, when he retired in 2016. As a member of the

Greece men's national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team ( el, Eθνική Oμάδα Καλαθοσφαίρισης Ελλάδος) represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for ...

, Diamantidis won a

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the ...

gold medal in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

; 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 France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, just seconds before the game's final buzzer. He also led that tournament in assists, and was a part of the All-EuroBasket Team. In

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, he played a pivotal role in a

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

silver medal campaign, with Greece stunning Team USA in the semifinals, and Diamantidis finishing as the competition's steals leader. Diamantidis was also a two-time Olympian, as he donned the Greek colours in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 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. He was also named the

Greek Male Athlete of the Year The PSAT Sports Awards (Greek: Αθλητικά Βραβεία ΠΣΑΤ) are the annual sports awards that are issued by the Panhellenic Sports Press Association (PSAT). The awards are given to the year's top performing individual athletes, in the ...

in 2007.

Early years

Diamantidis was born in

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the weste ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, 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 The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

club

. 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. In his first season with the club, Diamantidis also played in the European-wide secondary league, the

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

. Diamantidis averaged 1.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, during the Saporta Cup 1999–00 season. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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

After his continued improvement and success with Iraklis, Diamantidis made a big step up in his career, with his move to Panathinaikos of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, in 2004; a basketball powerhouse of the

, 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,

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

5.7 million

net income In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest ...

contract extension. In 2010, Diamantidis again renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 3 years, at

10.8 million gross income (€6 million

). On February 21, 2013, Diamantidis became the EuroLeague's career leader in steals. 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. On September 2, 2015, Diamantidis announced his retirement from playing professional club basketball, effective at the end of the 2015–16 Greek League season. In his last season with Panathinaikos, he was voted the Greek League Most Popular Player. 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 Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...

shared one of the most successful collaborations between a player and his

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

in the history of European club basketball. During his time with Panathinaikos, Diamantidis won the EuroLeague championship three times (

), the Greek League championship nine times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014), and the

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 The EuroLeague MVP, or EuroLeague Full Season MVP, is the award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "Most Valuable Player" during the full season of the EuroLeague. The EuroLeague is the top-tier level European-wide men's prof ...

in 2011, the

EuroLeague Final Four MVP The EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player Award is presented and awarded to the basketball player who has exhibited the most exceptional play during the EuroLeague Final Four. The award often goes to the best player on the European-wide top ...

twice (2007, 2011), the EuroLeague Best Defender six times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), 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. In 2020, Diamantidis was named "The Best Greek Professional Basketball Player of The 2010s Decade", by the readers of the Greek website Gazzetta.gr.

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 The 2000 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship (known at that time as 2000 European Championship for Young Men) was the fifth edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The city of Ohrid, in Macedonia, hosted the tournament. Slovenia Slo ...

, 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. As a part of the Greek under-26 national selection, Diamantidis won the silver medal at the

2001 Mediterranean Games The XIV Mediterranean Games ( ar, ألعاب البحر الأبيض المتوسط 2001), commonly known as the 2001 Mediterranean Games, were the 14th Mediterranean Games held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 2-15 September 2001, where 2,991 athletes (1 ...

. Diamantidis was also a member of the

. 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 In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

twice, in 2005 and 2006. On September 4, 2010, after Greece's elimination in the Eighth-Finals of the

2010 FIBA World Cup The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

, at the hands of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

(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 A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

, and having scored a total of 760 points, for a scoring average of 6.13 points per game.

FIBA EuroBasket

With the

, Diamantidis participated at the 2003 EuroBasket, where Greece finished in fifth place, after beating

Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

, by a score of 72–64. Diamantidis won the gold medal at the

2005 EuroBasket The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth ...

. During the

FIBA EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

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 The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

, losing the bronze medal to

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, 78–69.

FIBA World Cup

Diamantidis won the silver medal with Greece at the

2006 FIBA World Cup The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

, which was held in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. 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 LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA cham ...

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team ...

, Chris Bosh,

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...

, and

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...

. 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 The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, stated: ''"2006, that's a lesson we learned. The Greek Team taught us'' ( Team USA) ''how to play internationally."'' Diamantidis also represented Greece at the

. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game at that tournament.

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 The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

. Greece finished in fifth place in both tournaments, losing both times to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

in the competition's quarterfinals.

Managerial career

Diamantidis retired from playing professional

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

basketball in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, he became the co-

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 Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...

, after a rather unfortunate season in EuroLeague. As general manager in two years, Diamantidis won 3 titles:

2020–21 Greek Basket League The 2020–21 Greek Basket League, also known as the 2020–21 betshop.gr Greek Basket League for sponsorship reasons, is the 81st season of the Greek Basket League, the top-tier level professional club basketball league in Greece. The season be ...

, 2020–21 Greek Basketball Cup and 2021 Greek Basketball Super Cup.

Player profile

As a left-handed player, Diamantidis played as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronge ...

. In the

Greek men's national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team ( el, Eθνική Oμάδα Καλαθοσφαίρισης Ελλάδος) represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body f ...

, his primary position was small forward, with him often being utilized as a

point forward Point forward is a nontraditional position in basketball, with a small forward—or sometimes a power forward or combo forward—adding the responsibilities of point guard to their play. Characteristics Generally, teams employ 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 The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

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, 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.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - ! colspan="14" , FIBA SuproLeague , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;" , Iraklis , 13 , , – , , 14.2 , , .269 , , .200 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 2.2 , , – , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 13 , , – , , 14.2 , , .269 , , .200 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 2.2 , , – , - ! colspan="14" , EuroLeague , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=12, Panathinaikos , 25 , , 20 , , 27.4 , , .544 , , .467 , , .709 , , 3.7 , , 3.1 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 8.5 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , 23 , , 22 , , 30.1 , , .492 , , .269 , , .785 , , 4.5 , , 2.9 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , 8.7 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2006–07† , 24 , , 24 , , 29.1 , , .489 , , .460 , , .780 , , 3.9 , , 3.9 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , 8.9 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , 19 , , 19 , , 30.9 , , .484 , , .435 , , .769 , , 5.3 , , 3.3 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , 8.5 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2008–09† , 21 , , 12 , , 27.3 , , .486 , , .441 , , .863 , , 4.4 , , 3.1 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 8.5 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , 12 , , 9 , , 26.7 , , .559 , , .516 , , .738 , , 2.9 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 9.4 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

† , 22 , , 21 , , 30.5 , , .433 , , .370 , , .872 , , 3.9 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 6.2* , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 12.5 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 23 , , 21 , , 30.0 , , .448 , , .425 , , .882 , , 3.7 , , 4.8 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 11.5 , , 16.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , 27 , , 25 , , 31.5 , , .368 , , .315 , , .712 , , 3.4 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 8.1 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 29 , , 27 , , 100 , , .324 , , .283 , , .763 , , 2.4 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 6.2* , , 1.4 , , .1 , , 8.9 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 27 , , 27 , , 27.3 , , .410 , , .379 , , .814 , , 2.3 , , 5.9 , , .9 , , .3 , , 8.0 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 26 , , 1 , , 21.2 , , .459 , , .376 , , .827 , , 2.3 , , 4.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.2 , , 10.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 278 , , 228 , , 28.7 , , .442 , , .375 , , .795 , , 3.5 , , 4.5 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 9.0 , , 13.7

International statistics

Awards and honors

Club career

* 3× EuroLeague

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

: (

) * 9× Greek League Champion: (2005,

, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) * 10×

Winner: (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) * 2× Triple Crown Winner: 2007, 2009

Greek under-26 national team

Greek senior national team

: *

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

: * 2006 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup: * 7×

Acropolis Tournament The Acropolis International Basketball Tournament (also known as the Acropolis of Athens Basketball Tournament and the Acropolis Basketball Cup) ( Greek: Τουρνουά Ακρόπολις) is an international basketball competition that is play ...

Champion: (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Individual awards

Pro clubs

: 2011 * 2×

: 2007, 2011 *6× EuroLeague Best Defender:

*4×

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

* 2×

EuroLeague MVP of the Month The EuroLeague MVP of the Month is the award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, for the most valuable player of each month of the season. The award began in the 2004–05 season, after the EuroLeague eliminated the Eur ...

: December 2010, March/April 2012 * 5×

EuroLeague MVP of the Round The EuroLeague MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Round, previously known as the EuroLeague MVP of the Week, is an award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the best player of each round of the season. Eac ...

: 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 *

: 2016 * 2× EuroLeague Assists Leader:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

* 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 *

: 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: 2016

Greek senior national team

All-Tournament Team:

Assists Leader:

Steals Leader: 2006 * 2× Acropolis Tournament MVP: 2005, 2006 * Voted one of the

's Best 5 Players of the

's 2000–2020 era: 2020 * Voted one of

's Best 5 Players overall of the 2000–2020 era: 2020

Early years

Professional career

Iraklis Thessaloniki

Panathinaikos Athens

National team career

FIBA EuroBasket

FIBA World Cup

Summer Olympic Games

Managerial career

Player profile

Career statistics

EuroLeague

International statistics

Awards and honors

Club career

Greek under-26 national team

Greek senior national team

Individual awards

Pro clubs

Greek senior national team

Notes

References

External links