Theodoros Papaloukas (Greek: Θεόδωρος Παπαλουκάς; born 8 May 1977), commonly known asTheo Papaloukas, is a retired Greekprofessional basketball player. He was selected to theAll-EuroLeague Team four times, was a member of theEuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team, and was named one of the50 greatest EuroLeague contributors in 2008. A legendary figure in European basketball, he was renowned for his ability to come off the bench and immediately dominate the game.[1] In 2013, he received the sport’s highest European honor when he was named aEuroLeague Legend in recognition of his career achievements.
Papaloukas started his career in 1995, with his local club ofAmpelokipoi, before being transferred two years later toDafni, and then toPanionios in 1999. His performances with the latter earned him a transfer toEuroLeague powerhouseOlympiacos, where in 2002, he won his first title, theGreek Cup. A year later, he moved to Moscow forCSKA, the club that he would help to regain its past glory. After making a minimal impact during his first two seasons in the Russian capital, he evolved into a major contributor to CSKA's success, playing as asixth man in the2004–05 season, both in theEuroLeague and theRussian Super League A.
In2006, Papaloukas led CSKA to their first EuroLeague title in thirty-five years, and thus earning anAll-EuroLeague First Team selection and theEuroLeague Final Four MVP award in the process. The following year, he cemented his status as a EuroLeague competition icon,[2] after being named theEuroLeague MVP, before falling short of a second straight EuroLeague title in thechampionship's final againstPanathinaikos. In2008, he won his second EuroLeague title with CSKA, in what would be his last year in Moscow. In the summer of 2008, Papaloukas returned to Olympiacos, and with them he reached another twoEuroLeague Final Fours, thereby giving him a then record of eight consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances, a record he shared at the time with his former teammateJ.R. Holden. On 12 December 2013 he was honored with aEuroLeague Basketball Legend Award.[3]
Papaloukas helped lead theGreece men's national basketball team to a title,EuroBasket 2005, and a silver medal in2006 FIBA World Championship. He was elected to the All-Tournament Team in both competitions.[4] Papaloukas took part in twoOlympic tournaments, in2004 and2008, with Greece finishing in their personal all-time best fifth position on both occasions. In 2006, he was named theFIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year.
A native ofAthens, Greece, Papaloukas began his big career at the small local Athens junior team Ethnikos Ellinoroson. He then played for another small, but at the time rising club, calledAmpelokipoi, with whom he began his pro career in 1995. He then transferred toDafni of theGreek 2nd Division in 1997, and transferred again two years later toPanionios, a traditional basketball club of thetop-tier levelGreek Basket League. WithDafni, Papaloukas won theGreek 2nd Division title, and the Greek 2nd Division Player of the Year award, in the 1998–99 season.
In 2001, Papaloukas finally moved toOlympiacos, a long-time Greek League power, as well as one of the perennial contenders in theEuroLeague. WithOlympiacos, he led theGreek Basket League in assists in the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons. After the 2001–02 season, he leftOlympiacos, and moved to anotherEuroLeague powerhouse, theRussian Super League A clubCSKA Moscow, in 2002.
After three disappointing years, at the club level, Papaloukas was a main factor helping the team win the2005–06 EuroLeague title, the club's first EuroLeague title in 35 years, with a clutch performance in the2006 Final Four - 19 points in the semifinal againstFC Barcelona, and another 18 points at the final against the then back-to-backEuropean champions,Maccabi Tel Aviv, which led to him being awarded him theFinal Four MVP award; after he was also named the bestpoint guard of the EuroLeague for that season.[5] Alongside him on the All-EuroLeague First Team, were the bestshooting guard,Juan Carlos Navarro ofBarça, the bestsmall forward,Anthony Parker of Maccabi (the2005–06 EuroLeagueMVP), the bestpower forward,Luis Scola ofTAU Cerámica, and the bestcenter,Nikola Vujčić of Maccabi.
In 2007, Papaloukas was voted theEuroLeague MVP of2006–07 EuroLeague season.[6]CSKA advanced to thefinal againstPanathinaikos, which was held on the Greens' home court, theAthens Olympic Indoor Hall (which had been chosen as the site more than a year in advance). Panathinaikos won the game, by a score of 93–91, in a very exciting game. Papaloukas scored 23 points and dished out 8 assists, but a number ofsportswriters intimated that he did not receive adequate support from his CSKA teammates, and thus his team lost the final. Papaloukas was also a key member of CSKA's2007–08 EuroLeague championship team.
Papaloukas was then pursued infree agency by theNBA clubs theBoston Celtics,Los Angeles Lakers,Milwaukee Bucks, and theMiami Heat to fill their point guard spot. However, on 7 July 2007 Greek newspapers reported that Papaloukas agreed to a newly structured 3-year contract with CSKA, worth€10.5 millionnet income.
On 20 June 2008, one year after his contract extension with CSKA, Papaloukas used an option to leave his contract with no buyout to sign a three-year contract withOlympiacos with an annual salary of€3.5 millionnet income.
In the first two years of his contract, he helped Olympiacos reach theEuroLeague Final Four, averaging 8 points and 5.2 assists in the EuroLeague2008–09 season, and 7.4 points and 5.1 assists in the EuroLeague2009–10 season. In the third, and last, year of his contract, the team failed to advance to the EuroLeague Final Four, losing 3 games to 1 toMontepaschi Siena in the EuroLeague quarterfinal playoffs, despite having the home court advantage.
On 13 August 2011 Papaloukas signed a contract with the Israeli teamMaccabi Tel Aviv, thefinalists of the2010–11 EuroLeague.[7] In Macccabi, Papaloukas didn't get much playing-time, averaging only 9.1 minutes per game in theEuroLeague, and playing in only 8Israeli Super League2011–12 season games. The shortage of playing-time led to his release, after only one disappointing season with the yellows.
In December 2012, Papaloukas was invited to a tryout withCSKA Moscow. He was signed by the team, and then officially returned to the court in a EuroLeague game againstAnadolu Efes, on 28 December 2012.[8] After the end of the2013 EuroLeague Final Four in London, he announced his retirement from playing professional basketball, effective at the end of the season.
Papaloukas was part of the core element of theGreece men's national basketball team. He played at the followingEuroBaskets:EuroBasket 2001 inTurkey,EuroBasket 2003 in Sweden,EuroBasket 2005 inSerbia and Montenegro, andEuroBasket 2007 in Spain.
Papaloukas, who was already well-established in European basketball as a result of appearances in three consecutiveEuroLeague Final Fours withCSKA Moscow, achieved an acclaimed position among the elite of European basketball at theEuroBasket 2005 in Serbia and Montenegro. After a series of mediocre performances in the first round, he led Greece to a victory over theRussian National Basketball Team in the quarterfinals, and orchestrated a major comeback against theFrench National Basketball Team in the semifinal, when Greece was down 7 points with 47 seconds left on the clock.
In the final against theGerman National Basketball Team, led by the prodigiousNBAAll-StarDirk Nowitzki, Papaloukas scored 22 points, leading Greece comfortably to its second European title, eighteen years after its first win at theEuroBasket 1987. As such, Papaloukas was selected to theAll-Tournament Team of theEuroBasket 2005, along with fellow Greek team playerDimitris Diamantidis,Spanish National Basketball Team shooting guardJuan Carlos Navarro,French National Teamswingman and NBA playerBoris Diaw, and Nowitzki, who also claimed theMVP title.
Papaloukas also joined the elite club of players who have achieved the European title at both thenational team andclub levels during the same year, as he won theEuroLeague title withCSKA at theFinal Four in Prague on 28–30 April 2006.
Papaloukas climbed to the second position of global basketball as he, along with his fellow Greek team players, drove Greece to the final of the2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, losing there in the final to theSpanish National Basketball Team. The win of the Greece national team overTeam USA in the semifinal, by a score of 101–95, had Papaloukas with 12 assists, 8 points and 5 rebounds. He also earned a place onthe All-Tournament Team, which also includedthe tournament MVPPau Gasol ofSpain, Gasol's teammateJorge Garbajosa,Carmelo Anthony ofTeam USA, andManu Ginóbili ofArgentina.
His most formidable personal recognition came on 26 January 2007, when he was voted by fans and journalists as theFIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year for 2006, topping the likes of Nowitzki, Gasol, andTony Parker. In the summer of 2008, Papaloukas became thecaptain of Greece's national team for the2008 Olympic Games. It was also the last time he ever played for Greece's national team.
Papaloukas was a 6’7”, 225‑lb floor general.[7] With his size, mastery of the pick-and-roll,[4] and elite feel for the game[5] — along with his ability to deliver in big moments[6] — he cemented his status as one of the greatest players inEuroLeague history.[8][9]
Papaloukas was selected to the EuroLeague’s50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors list in 2008.
After he retired from playing professional basketball, Papaloukas was named aEuroLeague Legend, and also an official ambassador of theEuroLeague. He also became a member of the EuroLeague's official technical rules committee.
His family hails from ProusosEvritania.[10]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes season in which Papaloukas won theEuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Olympiacos | 19 | 13 | 26.9 | .468 | .333 | .671 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 8.4 | 10.2 |
| 2002–03 | CSKA Moscow | 21 | 1 | 16.4 | .453 | .280 | .630 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .0 | 4.7 | 8.0 |
| 2003–04 | 21 | 0 | 17.4 | .453 | .172 | .782 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 1.5 | .1 | 6.3 | 8.5 | |
| 2004–05 | 23 | 0 | 18.5 | .611 | .412 | .679 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .1 | 7.6 | 11.3 | |
| 2005–06† | 24 | 0 | 22.7 | .549 | .275 | .736 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 1.8 | .3 | 9.3 | 13.9 | |
| 2006–07 | 25* | 3 | 24.4 | .578 | .341 | .716 | 3.2 | 5.4* | 1.7 | .2 | 9.8 | 15.3 | |
| 2007–08† | 23 | 0 | 21.8 | .500 | .242 | .690 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 1.2 | .0 | 7.7 | 11.2 | |
| 2008–09 | Olympiacos | 22 | 2 | 25.1 | .612 | .368 | .636 | 2.7 | 5.2* | 1.1 | .0 | 8.0 | 11.5 |
| 2009–10 | 19 | 0 | 24.4 | .561 | .351 | .643 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 1.3 | .1 | 7.4 | 10.4 | |
| 2010–11 | 18 | 0 | 21.4 | .470 | .214 | .609 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 1.6 | .0 | 5.4 | 8.1 | |
| 2011–12 | Maccabi | 20 | 1 | 9.6 | .435 | .333 | .720 | 1.1 | 1.6 | .6 | .0 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 2012–13 | CSKA Moscow | 17 | 0 | 11.1 | .379 | .333 | .786 | 1.5 | 2.3 | .5 | .1 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| Career | 252 | 20 | 20.1 | .526 | .300 | .694 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 1.3 | .1 | 6.8 | 9.9 | |
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