Nikos Zisis

Nikos Zisis , 3.9.2006 (*)

Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis (alternate spelling: Zissis) (Greek: Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Ζήσης) (born August 16, 1983 in Thessaloniki, Greece) is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 1.97 m (6 ft 5 ¾ in) tall and he can play at the point guard and shooting guard positions. His primary position is point guard. Zisis is known as "The Lord of the Rings" because he is the player with the most combined medals won at the cadet, junior, young men's and men's FIBA European and World tournaments.[1] He is currently with the pro club Montepaschi Siena.

Pro career

Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis
Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Ζήσης
Nickname(s)	The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Medals Super Nikos
Position	Point Guard Shooting Guard
Height	6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg)
League	Italian League Euroleague
Team	Montepaschi Siena
Born	August 16, 1983 (1983-08-16) (age 27) Thessaloniki, Greece
Nationality	Greek
Pro career	2000–present
Former teams	AEK Athens (2000-05) Benetton Treviso (2005-07) CSKA Moscow (2007-09)
Awards	Greek League Young Player of the Year 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship MVP 2002 FIBA Europe Young Player of The Year 2005

Zisis started his playing career in the year 1996 at a local Saloniki youth basketball team, at the YMCA (in Greek: ΧΑΝΘ). At the age of 17, he moved to Athens and to the Greek League team AEK Athens, where he began his professional basketball career. With AEK he won the Greek Cup in 2001, and also the Greek Championship in 2002. He also won the Greek League Young Player of the Year award in 2002.

He then moved to Treviso, Italy and played on the Italian League team Benetton Treviso. With Benetton, he won the Italian Super Cup and the Italian Championship in the year 2006, and also the Italian Cup in the year 2007. He then left Italy and moved to Moscow, Russia.

On June 13, 2007, he signed a 3-year contract worth €5 million euros net income with the Russian Super League team CSKA Moscow.[2][3] With CSKA, Zisis won the Euroleague Championship during the Euroleague 2007-08 season. In 2009, he left CSKA and signed a 2 year contract worth €1.8 million euros net income with the Italian League club Montepaschi Siena.[4] In 2010, he signed a 2 year extension with Siena.[5]

Greek national team

Medal record
Men's Basketball
Competitor for Greece
FIBA World Championship
Silver	2006 Japan	National Team
FIBA European Championship
Gold	2005 Serbia	National Team
Bronze	2009 Poland	National Team
Mediterranean Games
Silver	2001 Pescara	National Team

With Greece's junior national teams, Zisis won the silver medal at the 1999 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and he also led the tournament in scoring. He also won the bronze medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. He was an All Star at the 2001 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. Zisis also won the gold medal with the Greek junior national team at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he was also named the tournament's MVP. His first game with Greece's senior national team took place in Tunis, at the 2001 Mediterranean Games, on September 3, 2001. At the Mediterranean Games, he helped Greece win the silver medal at the tournament.

As a member of the senior Greek national basketball team, Zisis won the gold medal at the 2005 FIBA European Championship, which was held in Serbia and Montenegro. He was Greece's leading scorer during the tournament, averaging 10.6 points per game. At the end of the semifinal game against the French national basketball team, Zisis drove the length of the court, drove into the middle of the floor, drew a double team, and then dished the ball out to Dimitris Diamantidis, who hit a game-winning 3 pointer. After his great performance at the European Championship in 2005, Zisis was named the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year.[6]

The next year, at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, which was held in Japan, Zisis hit a game winning 3 point shot at the end of the game against the Australian national basketball team to give Greece a 72-69 victory. However, in the next game in the tournament he was hit on the cheekbone and eye socket bone by the elbow of the Brazilian national basketball team's Anderson Varejão. Zisis suffered a severe facial injury that forced him to sit out for the remaining entirety of the World Championship, as the injury required surgery. Even though Greece lost Zisis, who was their leading scorer the year before at the 2005 European Championship, they were still able to win the silver medal (including an improbable upset victory over Team USA in the semifinal game) during the World Championship tournament.

At the 2007 FIBA European Championship, Zisis was one of the two key Greek players along with Theo Papaloukas, that led Greece's national team to the biggest comeback in the history of the European Championship against the Slovenian national basketball team, called "the miracle". Greece finished the tournament in 4th place.

Zisis has also competed with Greece at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world and at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world.

Personal

* Zisis is very close friends with fellow Greek national basketball team player Vassilis Spanoulis and also with Italian NBA player Andrea Bargnani.

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

* Won the Greek Cup: (2001)
* Won the Greek Championship: (2002)
* Greek League Young Player of the Year: (2002)
* 2x Greek All Star Game: (2004, 2005)
* Won 2 Italian Super Cups: (2006, 2009)
* Won the Italian Championship: (2006)
* Won 2 Italian Cups: (2007, 2010)
* Won 2 Russian Championships: (2008, 2009)
* Won the Euroleague Championship: (2008)
* Won the United League Championship: (2008)

Greek national team

* Won the silver medal at the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: (1999)
* Led the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in scoring: (1999)
* Won the bronze medal at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship: (2000)
* Albert Schweitzer Tournament All Star: (2001)
* Won the gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship: (2002)
* FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship MVP: (2002)
* Won the silver medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games
* Won 6 Acropolis Tournaments: (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
* Won the gold medal at the 2005 FIBA European Championship
* FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year: (2005)
* Won the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
* Won the bronze medal at the 2009 FIBA European Championship

References

1. ^ Turkey2010.fiba.com - Biography.
2. ^ Basketblog.gr Zisis signs with CSKA. (Greek)
3. ^ Nikos Zisis signs with CSKA Moscow.
4. ^ Sport24.gr (Greek).
5. ^ Talkbasket.net - Zisis to renew with Siena.
6. ^ Zisis wins European Young Player of the Year Award.

External links

* NBA.com Profile
* Euroleague.net Profile
* FIBA World Championship Profile
* Italian League Profile (Italian)
* CSKA Moscow Profile
* AEK Profile
* Draftexpress.com Profile
* Zisis Euroleague Interview
* Draftexpress.com Zisis Interview
* Coach David Blatt on Zisis

Greece squad - 2006 FIBA World Championship Finalists

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