AGONA Legends: Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos’ Iconic No. 13

In light of Panathinaikos great Dimitris Diamantidis being named to the latest EuroLeague All-Decade Team, the AGONA Legends series looks back at his wonderful career with the Trifylli and the Ethniki.

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One of the modern additions to the pantheon of Greek basketball, Dimitris Diamantidis is one of the best from Greek basketball’s golden generation of the early 2000s. From his exploits with Panathinaikos domestically and in the EuroLeague to his triumphs with the Ethniki, Diamantidis was always a player that opposing teams feared at both ends of the court.

A long-time servant of Panathinaikos, Diamantidis captained the Athenians during their glory years in Greece and Europe as the Trifylli were the team to beat – at home and on the continent – during Diamantidis’ prime.

That same talent transferred ever so well to the Ethniki as Diamantidis was one of the focal points of a Greece side that rekindled the glory of past teams to capture EuroBasket gold in 2005 before stunning the world with a win over the mighty United States en route to a silver medal on the world stage.

FROM KASTORIA TO IRAKLIS

A native of Kastoria, Diamantidis started playing basketball at the age of 14 for Kastoria’s youth side. In 1999, having played five years of grassroots basketball with Kastoria, Diamantidis signed his first professional contract with Iraklis. It wasn’t long before Diamantidis was part of a youth revolution at the club that also included the likes of Lazaros Papadopoulos and Nikos Chatzivrettas.

ETHNIKI DEBUT: FROM MEDITERRANEAN GAMES TO EUROBASKET

Having already played for Greece’s U-26 side at the 2001 Mediterranean Games, Diamantidis had already enjoyed success in a Greece shirt as he was part of the squad that captured the silver medal. But Diamantidis’ full senior debut with the Greek national team didn’t come until the qualifying campaign for EuroBasket 2003. Making four appearances, Diamantidis was primarily an option off the bench as the Ethniki qualified for the final tournament in Sweden later that summer.

STANDOUT SEASON

After featuring in a Greece side that finished a surprising fifth at EuroBasket 2003, Diamantidis flourished on the club scene with his best campaign yet as Iraklis clinched a playoff spot before losing a hard-fought series to Panathinaikos in the semifinals. Diamantidis was a key contributor to Iraklis’ success and was rightly named MVP of the Greek top flight for the 2003/2004 season.

Diamantidis was back in a Greece shirt later that summer as Greece hosted the 2004 Olympics with the Ethniki back in the Olympic basketball tournament for the first time in eight years. Despite excelling on the domestic scene, Diamantidis was still an auxiliary option off the bench as Greece finished the tournament in fifth.

MOVE TO PANATHINAIKOS

It was that standout campaign that earned Diamantidis his move to Panathinaikos ahead of the 2004/2005 season. Getting his first taste of EuroLeague basketball, Diamantidis didn’t take long to adjust to his new surroundings as the Trifylli managed to capture the domestic double – Diamantidis’ first honours as a professional.

EUROBASKET 2005: VALTO AGORI MOU

After back-to-back summers of starting on the bench for Greece, Diamantidis finally broke into the starting lineup for the Ethniki at EuroBasket 2005. In what would be Greece’s finest moment of the new millennium, the Ethniki captured gold with a win over Germany in the final – but none of that would have been possible had it not been for Diamantidis’ game-winning shot in the come-from-behind semifinal win over France.

GREECE 101-95 USA

One year later, Diamantidis was part of the Greece side that shocked the basketball world with a stunning win over the United States in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. Despite the defeat to Spain in the Final, Greece still managed to pick up a medal in back-to-back summers for the first time in the history of the national team.

EUROLEAGUE SUCCESS

By the time Diamantidis’ third season at Panathinaikos came around, a now 26-year-old Diamantidis already had four domestic titles to his name. As Panathinaikos repeated their domestic double swoop during the 2006/2007 season, that campaign was extra special as the club completed the Triple Crown. Diamantidis was named the EuroLeague’s Final Four MVP as Panathinaikos outlasted both Tau Ceramica and CSKA Moscow en route to capturing the club’s fourth piece of European silverware.

Panathinaikos’ push to repeat as EuroLeague champions would fall way short during the 2008/2009 season, but the Trifylli remained the team to beat in Greece with another domestic double.

However, during the 2008/2009 season the Trifylli were Kings of Europe once again as Panathinaikos beat archrivals Olympiacos and CSKA Moscow to capture the fifth title in the club’s history. Once again it was Diamantidis who was the key cog for the Athenians as he steered his side to a second Triple Crown in the past three seasons.

INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT

While Diamantidis’ club career was thriving, success with the Ethniki stalled towards the first decade of the millennium. Despite the success of 2005 and 2006, Greece had previously failed to medal at EuroBasket 2007 and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

EuroBasket 2009 was initially seen as a shot at redemption for the Ethniki but when Diamantidis and Thodoris Papaloukas pulled out of the tournament citing rest, the Ethniki’s hopes of returning to the podium were dashed. But to most of Europe’s surprise, Greece still found a way to the podium as the Ethniki turned a semifinal defeat to nemesis Spain into a win over Slovenia in the consolation game. Greece’s bronze medal that summer raised plenty of ‘what if’ questions in the Greek press as media members and fans alike wondered what a healthy Diamantidis and Papaloukas would have offered the Ethniki.

One year later, Diamantidis returned to the Ethniki for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. In what would be Diamantidis’ last go-around with the national team, an old arch-rival in Spain would hand Greece an early exit from the competition as the Ethniki crashed out of the tournament in the Round of 16 after a less-than-ideal group stage.

That would spell the end for Diamantidis, who announced his retirement from the Ethniki shortly after the defeat to Spain. Stepping away from the international game at 30 raised plenty of eyebrows as many still believed Diamantidis could offer the Ethniki something special even if it was in a reduced capacity.

EUROLEAGUE LEGACY CONFIRMED

Perhaps the biggest example of that came in the following season as Diamantidis spearheaded Panathinaikos’ push for yet another EuroLeague crown. In what would eventually go down as his best-overall season in the EuroLeague, Diamantidis propelled Panathinaikos to wins over Montepaschi Siena and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Final Four. As he helped his side clinch a sixth EuroLeague title in the club’s history, Diamantidis was the unanimous MVP as he took home the honour for both the entire season and the Final Four.

BACK ON TOP IN GREECE

Panathinaikos’ hegemony in the Basket League appeared to be broken by Olympiacos at the end of the 2010s as the Trifylli were no longer clinching domestic doubles. Following a red reign atop the Basket League to start the decade, Panathinaikos returned to their double-winning days in 2012/2013. But despite the club’s ability to return to prominence in Greece, the Trifylli were stalling in Europe as the club would miss the Final Four in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Diamantidis arrived at the club.

PANATHINAIKOS SWAN SONG

After capturing the domestic double for a second straight season in 2013/2014, Panathinaikos would lose their grip on the domestic crown as Olympiacos recaptured the Basket League title in back-to-back seasons starting in 2014/2015.

By now, Panathinaikos were reduced to winning the Greek Cup as the club’s EuroLeague heyday was well in the rear-view mirror despite Diamantidis’ best efforts. After Olympiacos defeated Panathinaikos emphatically in the Basket League Finals, Diamantidis announced his retirement from basketball.

Panathinaikos immediately honoured their icon by retiring Diamantidis’ iconic number 13 jersey while the EuroLeague announced they were added Diamantidis to the competition’s pantheon of legends. Back in his hometown, Kastoria’s local indoor hall was renamed to commemorate Diamantidis’ career as just one example of the numerous tributes that were made for one of the best players to ever play the game.

To this day, Diamantidis still holds several records in both domestic and European record books. But perhaps what cements his legacy as one of the best players in the history of the sport is the respect that he received from even the best opponents. In a recent interview, the late Kobe Bryant named Diamantidis as the player he wished he had on his team.

TEAM AWARDS AND HONOURS

Panathinaikos

3 EuroLeague titles (2007, 2009, 2011)

9 Greek Basket League titles

10 Greek Cup titles

Greece

1 EuroBasket Gold Medal (2005)

1 FIBA World Championship Silver Medal (2006)

1 Mediterranean Games Silver Medal (2001)

1 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup Gold Medal (2006)

7 Acropolis Tournament titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS AND HONOURS

1× EuroLeague MVP: 2011

2× EuroLeague Final Four MVP: 2007, 2011

6× EuroLeague Best Defender: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

4× All-EuroLeague First Team: 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013

2× EuroLeague MVP of the Month: December 2010, March/April 2012

5× EuroLeague MVP of the Round: 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

EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award: 2016

2× EuroLeague Assists Leader: 2011, 2014

6× Greek League MVP: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014

6× Greek League Finals MVP: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014

1× 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

1× Mister Europa Player of the Year: 2007

1× Greek Athlete of the Year: 2007

All-Europe Player of the Year: 2007

2× Greek Cup MVP: 2009, 2016

2× Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer: 2009, 2013

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