Nikos Zisis
Encyclopedia
Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis (born August 16, 1983 in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

) is a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 professional basketball player. He is currently with the pro club Montepaschi Siena.

Player profile

He is 1.97 m (6 ft 5 ¾ in) tall and he can play at both the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 and shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

 positions. His primary position with his pro club teams is point guard, while his primary position with the Greek national team is shooting guard. Zisis is known as "The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

" because he is the Greek player with the most combined medals won at the cadet, junior, young men's and men's FIBA European and world tournaments.

Pro career

Zisis started his playing career in the year 1996 at a local Saloniki youth basketball team, at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

 (in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

: ΧΑΝΘ). At the age of 17, he moved to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 and to the Greek League
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

 team AEK Athens
AEK Athens BC
AEK BC , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War ....

, where he began his professional basketball career. With AEK he won the Greek Cup
Greek basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...

 in 2001, and also the Greek Championship
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

 in 2002. He also won the Greek League
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

 Young Player of the Year award in 2002.

He then moved to Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and played on the Italian League
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...

 team Benetton Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso, more often known by its sponsorship name of Benetton Basket, or Benetton Treviso, is an Italian Serie A League professional basketball club from Treviso, the headquarters city of its longtime owner Benetton Group...

. With Benetton, he won the Italian Super Cup
Supercoppa Italiana di Pallacanestro Maschile
The Italian Basketball Supercup , or Supercoppa Italiana, is the professional preseason basketball competition that takes place each year between the winners of the Italian Championship and the winners of the Italian Cup...

 and the Italian Championship
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...

 in the year 2006, and also the Italian Cup
Coppa Italia di pallacanestro maschile
The Italian Basketball Cup , or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian League.-History and format:...

 in the year 2007. He then left Italy and moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

On June 13, 2007, he signed a 3-year contract worth
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

5 million euros net income
Net income
Net income is the residual income of a firm after adding total revenue and gains and subtracting all expenses and losses for the reporting period. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings...

 with the Russian League team CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League. It is often referred to in the West as "Red Army" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army. CSKA has won two titles between 2006 and 2009 in Europe's...

. With CSKA, Zisis won the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...

 Championship during the Euroleague 2007-08
Euroleague 2007-08
The Euroleague is an international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe. The 2007–2008 season featured 24 competing teams. The Euroleague Regular Season drew was held on 30 June 2007 in the Jesolo, Italy, during the inaugural Euroleague summer league...

 season. In 2009, he left CSKA and signed a 2 year contract worth
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

1.8 million euros net income
Net income
Net income is the residual income of a firm after adding total revenue and gains and subtracting all expenses and losses for the reporting period. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings...

 with the Italian League club Montepaschi Siena. In 2010, he signed a 2 year extension with Siena.

Greek national team

With Greece's junior national teams, Zisis won the silver medal at the 1999 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
1999 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
-Championship:-5th–8th playoffs:-Final standings:-References:**...

 and he also led the tournament in scoring. He also won the bronze medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was inaugurated in 1964 and for the following 40 years it had been held biannually. From 2004 onwards, it is held every year.-Summaries:-Performances by nation:...

. 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
2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
-Championship:-5th–8th playoffs:-Final standings:-References:**...

, where he was also named the tournament's MVP. His first game with Greece's senior national team took place in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

, at the 2001 Mediterranean Games
2001 Mediterranean Games
The 14th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, from 2 to 15 September 2001. Twenty three nations competed in 23 different sporting events. France won the most gold medals in the competition while Italy had the greatest medal haul overall with 136 in...

, 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
Greece national basketball team
The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...

, Zisis won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...

, which was held in Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...

. 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
France national basketball team
The French national basketball team is the national basketball team representing France. It is administrated by the Fédération Française de Basket-Ball . The team has been competitive, but has yet to win a major international tournament...

, 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
Dimitris Diamantidis
Dimitris Diamantidis is a Greek professional basketball player. Standing at 1.98 m , Diamantidis mainly plays at the point guard position, but he also has the ability to play as a shooting guard, as well as to assume the small forward position, being utilized as a point forward...

, who hit a game-winning 3 pointer. After his great performance at the EuroBasket in 2005, Zisis was named the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year
FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award
The FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award is an annual award given by FIBA Europe, the European division of FIBA, the international governing body of the sport of basketball, to the best European basketball player aged 22 and under of the year. The inaugural award was given out in the...

.

The next year, at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...

, which was held in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Zisis hit a game winning 3 point shot at the end of the game against the Australian national basketball team
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...

 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
Brazil national basketball team
The Brazilian National Basketball Team represents Brazil in FIBA's basketball competitions.-Men's team:First drafted in 1922, the men's team has won two World Championships , three bronze Olympic medals , four Americas Championships and five Pan American Games .-Olympic Games:-FIBA...

's Anderson Varejão
Anderson Varejão
Anderson França Varejão is a Brazilian professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won the gold medal with Brazil at the 2003 Pan American Games.-1998–2001 :...

. 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 EuroBasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...

, they were still able to win the silver medal (including an improbable upset victory over Team USA
United States national basketball team
The United States men's national basketball team represents the United States of America in international men's basketball. The USA is the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in all sixteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, coming away with thirteen golds...

 in the semifinal game) during the World Championship tournament.

At the EuroBasket 2007
Eurobasket 2007
-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...

, 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
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...

, against the Slovenian national basketball team
Slovenia national basketball team
The Slovenian National Basketball Team is a team that is selected by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia to compete in major international basketball events in representation of Slovenia....

, called "the miracle". Greece finished the tournament in 4th place.

Zisis has also competed with Greece at the 2004 Olympic Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....

, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world, and at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China...

, where Greece finished in 5th place in the world. He also played at the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...

.

Personal

  • Zisis is very close friends with fellow Greek national basketball team
    Greece national basketball team
    The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...

     player Vassilis Spanoulis
    Vassilis Spanoulis
    Vassilis Spanoulis is a Greek professional basketball player who plays for the Greek League and Euroleague club Olympiacos Piraeus. A 6 ft 4 in tall guard, Spanoulis first played for GS Larissa and enjoyed a highly successful career start, winning the Greek League's award for Best Young...

    , and he is also friends with Italian NBA player Andrea Bargnani
    Andrea Bargnani
    Andrea Bargnani , nicknamed "Il Mago" , is an Italian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He was selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is a power forward/center standing at 213 cm and weighing 113.4 kg...

    .

Pro career

  • Won the Greek Cup
    Greek basketball Cup
    The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...

    : (2001)
  • Won the Greek Championship
    A1 Ethniki
    The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

    : (2002)
  • Greek League
    A1 Ethniki
    The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

     Young Player of the Year: (2002)
  • 2x Greek All Star Game
    HEBA Greek All Star Game
    The Greek HEBA All-Star Game, also known as the Greek ΕΣΑΚΕ All Star Game is the All Star Game of the HEBA Greek basketball association for men, was founded and organized by GUS SARIANIDES which features players from the top Greek pro basketball league the HEBA A1 Division. The game is played in a...

    : (2004, 2005)
  • FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year
    FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award
    The FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award is an annual award given by FIBA Europe, the European division of FIBA, the international governing body of the sport of basketball, to the best European basketball player aged 22 and under of the year. The inaugural award was given out in the...

    : (2005)
  • Won 3 Italian Super Cups
    Supercoppa Italiana di Pallacanestro Maschile
    The Italian Basketball Supercup , or Supercoppa Italiana, is the professional preseason basketball competition that takes place each year between the winners of the Italian Championship and the winners of the Italian Cup...

    : (2006-07, 2009-10, 2010-11)
  • Won 3 Italian Championships
    Serie A (basketball)
    Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...

    : (2006, 2010, 2011)
  • Won 3 Italian Cups
    Coppa Italia di pallacanestro maschile
    The Italian Basketball Cup , or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian League.-History and format:...

    : (2007, 2010, 2011)
  • Won 2 Russian Championships
    Russian Basketball Super League
    The Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...

    : (2008, 2009)
  • Won the Euroleague
    Euroleague
    Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...

     Championship: (2008)
  • Won the United League
    VTB United League
    VTB United League is an international professional basketball league that was founded in 2008. Its goal is to unite the leading basketball clubs of Eastern Europe and Northern Europe together into one league. The league is sponsored by VTB Bank. In its inaugural 2009–10 season, it featured clubs...

     Championship: (2008-09)

Greek national team

  • Won the silver medal at the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, previously known as European Championship for Cadets, is a basketball competition inaugurated in 1971. Until 2003 it was held every second year, but from 2003 onwards it is held every year. The current champions are Croatia.-Results:-Performances by nation:-MVP...

    : (1999
    1999 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
    -Championship:-5th–8th playoffs:-Final standings:-References:**...

    )
  • Led the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in scoring: (1999)
  • Won the bronze medal at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was inaugurated in 1964 and for the following 40 years it had been held biannually. From 2004 onwards, it is held every year.-Summaries:-Performances by nation:...

    : (2000)
  • Albert Schweitzer Tournament All Star: (2001)
  • Won the gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, previously known as European Championship for Men 'Under22 and Under, is a basketball competition inaugurated in 1992. Until 2004 it was held biannually, but from 2004 onwards it is held every year. The current champions are Spain.Since 2005, a second level...

    : (2002
    2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
    -Championship:-5th–8th playoffs:-Final standings:-References:**...

    )
  • FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
    FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, previously known as European Championship for Men 'Under22 and Under, is a basketball competition inaugurated in 1992. Until 2004 it was held biannually, but from 2004 onwards it is held every year. The current champions are Spain.Since 2005, a second level...

     MVP: (2002)
  • Won the silver medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games
    2001 Mediterranean Games
    The 14th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, from 2 to 15 September 2001. Twenty three nations competed in 23 different sporting events. France won the most gold medals in the competition while Italy had the greatest medal haul overall with 136 in...

  • Won 7 Acropolis Tournament
    Acropolis Tournament
    The Acropolis International Basketball Tournament is an international basketball competition between national teams, which has been held annually since the year 1986 and takes place in Athens, Greece each summer...

    s: (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
  • Won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005
    Eurobasket 2005
    The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...

  • Won the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
    2006 FIBA World Championship
    The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...

  • Won the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2009
    EuroBasket 2009
    The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...


External links

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