Dimitrios 'Dimitris' Diamantidis (Greek:Δημήτριος ΔιαμαντίδηςGreek pronunciation:[ðiˈmi.tɾisðʝa.maˈdi.ðis]; born 6 May 1980) is a retired Greek professionalbasketball player, who spent most of hisEuroLeague career withPanathinaikos. Widely considered one of the greatest players in the history of European basketball,[a] he marked his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague,[2] serving as an inspiration to the following generation of young European superstars.[b] Diamantidis is the only Greek player who is a member of both theEuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team[11] and theEuroLeague 2010–2020 All-Decade Team.[12] In 2016, Diamantidis was honored with the highest European award, being named as aEuroLeague Legend for his career accomplishments. In 2025, he was voted by the fans as the Greatest Basketball Player in EuroLeague’s 25th Anniversary.
At the age of fourteen, Diamantidis started his basketball career with the youth clubs of his hometown team,AS Kastoria. A year later, he made his professional debut withIraklis Thessaloniki, and two years later by 2003, he had emerged as an all-around star in theGreek League. He became a member of Panathinaikos Athens in the summer of 2004, with whom he won threeEuroLeague titles, in2007,2009, and2011, with the last two coming as theteam's captain. Diamantidis' numerous accolades in the premier European club competition include aEuroLeague MVP Award, twoEuroLeague Final Four MVP Awards, fourAll-EuroLeague First Team selections, as well as a record sixEuroLeague Best Defender Awards. He is theEuroLeague's all-time leader in steals[13] since the stat was first officially recognized starting with the1991–92 season. On 1 April 2016, he was honored with aEuroLeague Basketball Legend Award.[2]
Amidst a long series of"derbies of the eternal enemies", opposing Panathinaikos andOlympiacos Piraeus, Diamantidis thrived, as he faced Olympiacos every year for twelve consecutive seasons, including in eleven Greek League Finals, six Greek Cup Finals, and aEuroLeague semifinal. He won nineGreek League and tenGreek Cup titles, alongside fourGreek League Finals MVP and a record sixGreek League MVP awards, as well as twoGreek Cup MVP awards. Diamantidis' personal friendship and rivalry with Olympiacos starVassilis Spanoulis was at the center of attention throughout six Greek League Finals and three Greek Cup Finals encounters. Diamantidis' self-effacing psyche[14] helped relieve tension between the two powerhouses, when he retired in 2016.[15]
As a member of theGreece men's national basketball team, Diamantidis won aEuroBasket gold medal in2005; 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 againstFrance, just seconds before the game's final buzzer. He also led that tournament inassists,[16] and was a part of theAll-EuroBasket Team. In2006, he played a pivotal role in aFIBA World Cup silver medal campaign, with Greece stunningTeam USA in the semifinals, and Diamantidis finishing as the competition'ssteals leader.[17] Diamantidis was also a two-timeOlympian, as he donned the Greek colours in2004 and2008, 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 theMister Europa Player of the Year by Italian sports magazineSuperbasket in 2007.[18] He was also named theGreek Male Athlete of the Year in 2007. He was inducted into theGreek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022.[19]
Diamantidis was born inKastoria,Greece, on 6 May 1980. He began playing basketball with theyouth teams of the local clubAS Kastoria. The club would later go on to name its home arena, Dimitris Diamantidis Indoor Hall, in his honor.
In summer 1999, at age 19, Diamantidis began his professional career, when he signed with theGreek Basket League clubIraklis Thessaloniki. In his first pro season, in the1999–00 Greek League season, he averaged 1.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.[20] In his first season with the club, Diamantidis also played in the European-widesecondary league, theFIBA Saporta Cup. Diamantidis averaged 1.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, during theSaporta Cup 1999–00 season.[21]
In his second season with the club, in the2000–01 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.[20] Diamantidis also played in what was one of the two premier European-wide club competitions at that time, theFIBA SuproLeague. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, during the SuproLeague's2000–01 season.[22]
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 the2001–02 Greek League season.[20] He was selected to theGreek 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's2001–02 season.[23]
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 the2002–03 Greek League season.[20] 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 the2003–04 Greek League season.[20] 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 theGreek 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.
After his continued improvement and success withIraklis, Diamantidis made a big step up in his career, with his move toPanathinaikos ofAthens, in 2004; a basketball powerhouse of theGreek Basket League, and also of theEuroLeague. 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 magnatePavlos Giannakopoulos, who was at that time the President of Panathinaikos, signed Diamantidis in 2008, to a 3-year,€5.7 millionnet income contract extension. In 2010, Diamantidis again renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 3 years, at€10.8 milliongross income (€6 millionnet income).[24] On 21 February 2013 Diamantidis became the EuroLeague'scareer leader insteals.[25]
On 4 July 2013 Diamantidis renewed his contract with Panathinaikos for another 2 years, at a salary of €1.9 million net income per year. On 30 October 2014 Diamantidis became the first player in EuroLeague history to have dished out 1,000 careerassists.[26] On 2 September 2015 Diamantidis announced his retirement from playing professional club basketball, effective at the end of the2015–16 Greek League season.[27] In his last season with Panathinaikos, he was voted theGreek League Most Popular Player.[28] Diamantidis retired as the all-time career leader in both assists andPerformance Index Rating (PIR) in the entire history of the EuroLeague. Those records were eventually broken.
While he was a member of Panathinaikos, Diamantidis andŽeljko Obradović shared one of the most successful collaborations between a player and hishead coach in the history of European club basketball. During his time with Panathinaikos, Diamantidis won theEuroLeague championship three times (2007,2009,2011), theGreek League championship nine times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014), and theGreek Cup title ten times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). He also won theTriple Crown in 2007 and 2009.
Diamantidis also won several individual trophies with Panathinaikos, such as: theEuroLeague MVP in 2011,[2] theEuroLeague Final Four MVP twice (2007, 2011), theEuroLeague Best Defender six times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011),[2] five of his six totalGreek League MVP awards (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014), theGreek League Finals MVP four times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2014), and theMVP of the Greek Cup in 2009 and 2016. While he was a member of Panathinaikos, Diamantidis was also named the 2007Mister Europa, and the 2007Greek Athlete of the Year.
After he ended his playing career, Diamantidis had his#13 playing jersey officially retired by Panathinaikos.[29] In 2020, Diamantidis was named "The Best Greek Professional Basketball Player of The 2010s Decade", by the readers of the Greek website Gazzetta.gr.[30] In 2022, he became a member of theGreek Basket League Hall of Fame.
Diamantidis was a member of theGreek under-20 junior national team. He played with Greece's under-20 junior national team at the2000 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where Greece finished in seventh place. He averaged 3.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game at the tournament.[31] As a part of theGreek men's under-26 national selection, Diamantidis won the silver medal at the2001 Mediterranean Games.
Diamantidis was also a member of theGreece men's national basketball team. With Greece's senior team, he won the gold medal at the2006 FIBA Stanković World Cup, and sevenAcropolis Tournaments, while also being named the tournament'sMVP twice, in 2005 and 2006.
On 4 September 2010, after Greece's elimination in the Eighth-Finals of the2010 FIBA World Cup, at the hands ofSpain (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 124games, and having scored a total of 760 points, for a scoring average of 6.13 points per game.[32]
With theGreece men's national basketball team, Diamantidis participated at the2003 EuroBasket, where Greece finished in fifth place, after beatingSerbia and Montenegro, by a score of 72–64. Diamantidis won the gold medal at the2005 EuroBasket. During theFIBA EuroBasket that year, he led the tournament in assists, and was selected to theAll-Tournament Team. In the tournament's semifinals against theFrench 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 the2007 EuroBasket, losing the bronze medal toLithuania, 78–69. He was named to theFIBA EuroBasket 2000–2020 Dream Team in 2020.[33]
Diamantidis won the silver medal with Greece at the2006 FIBA World Cup, which was held inJapan. In the tournament's semifinals, he was a key factor in Greece's historic 101–95 victory againstTeam USA, with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while facing the likes ofLeBron James,Dwyane Wade,Carmelo Anthony,Chris Bosh,Chris Paul, andDwight Howard. The defeat suffered by the United States team was the only one duringMike Krzyzewski's second era as the team's head coach (2005–2016). Coach Krzyzewski, in a press conference during the2014 FIBA World Cup, stated:"2006, that's a lesson we learned. TheGreek Team taught us (Team USA)how to play internationally."[34]
Diamantidis also represented Greece at the2010 FIBA World Cup. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game at that tournament.[35]
Diamantidis was a member of Greece's senior national team that competed at the2004 Athens Summer Olympics. He was also selected to play on Greece's senior national team for the2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Greece finished in fifth place in both tournaments, losing both times toArgentina in the quarterfinals.
Diamantidis retired from playing professionalclub basketball in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, he became thegeneral manager of the Greek clubPanathinaikos Athens, the same team that he had spent the last 12 seasons of his playing career with. As the team's general manager over two years, Diamantidis won three titles: the2020–21 Greek Basket League season's championship, the2020–21 Greek Basketball Cup title, and the2021 Greek Basketball Super Cup title.
Dimitris Diamantidis is widely regarded as one of the greatest players inEuroLeague history, and by many as the greatest.[36][37]Kobe Bryant once said he would have loved to play alongside Diamantidis, praising his defensive abilities.[38]
Standing 6 ft 5 in and weighing approximately 100 kg in his prime, the left-handed guard possessed an exceptional 7 ft 1 in wingspan.[39] He was known for his strong point-of-attack defense,[40] possessing the mobility and length needed to disrupt the rhythm of quicker guards[41] while also having the size and strength to defend larger wings.[42] He was particularly effective at disrupting passing lanes, often making it difficult for opposing teams to initiate their offense on his side of the floor.[43] While scoring was not his primary strength, he was a skilled ball-handler with a tight handle and an unpredictable change-of-pace that made it difficult for even elite defenders to stay in front of him.[44] Though not an elite athlete, his build, deceptive lateral quickness, and strong body control allowed him to exploit post-ups against smaller guards and occasionally finish acrobatically around the rim.[45]
He was generally a solid three-point shooter, though his efficiency did fluctuate. He finished his 12-season EuroLeague career with a solid 37.5% shooting mark from three-point range, and recorded a career-high seven three-pointers in a game againstUnicaja Málaga during the2011–12 season.[46] Over a five-season span from2010 to2015, he dramatically ramped up his three-point shooting volume relative to previous seasons, and the results were immediate:[47] he shot 37% in thefirst season and an impressive 42.5% in thesecond. However, his shooting regressed in subsequent seasons, includingone in which he shot just 28.3%. Ultimately, across that five-year span, he averaged 35.4% on 4.6 3PA per game.
Diamantidis later developed into one of the greatest passers in the history of European basketball.[48][49][50][51] By the2006 FIBA World Cup, his half-court facilitation — especially out of thepick-and-roll — had become a primary offensive weapon, oneGreece leaned on in their stunning upset of Team USA led byLeBron James,Dwyane Wade, andCarmelo Anthony.[52] His elite IQ and size at the guard position allowed him to see over defenses and deliver precise, sharp passes of every kind — especiallylobs.[53][54][55][56] He was equally dangerous in the open court, excelling at drive-and-kick reads and frequently pulling off creative no-look passes.[57][58][59] In addition, he could fire accurate outlet passes with either hand.[60] His playmaking impact was reflected in the fact that he led the EuroLeague in assists per game twice. Beyond his passing, Diamantidis is also widely regarded as one of the greatestclutch shooters in the history of European basketball.[61][62][63]
His defense,[64] mastery of operating thepick-and-roll,[65] and consistency in theclutch became hallmarks of his career.[66]
His defensive instincts and reactivity were also on full display with theGreek men’s national basketball team, most notably in his performances against theUnited States in2006.[67] In international play, he primarily playedsmall forward, often functioning as apoint forward.
| 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 Diamantidis won theEuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIBA SuproLeague | |||||||||||||
| 2000–01[22] | Iraklis | 13 | 0 | 14.2 | .269 | .200 | .750 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .6 | 2.2 | 3.2 |
| CareerSL | 13 | 0 | 14.2 | .269 | .200 | .750 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .6 | 2.2 | 3.2 | |
| EuroLeague | |||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | Panathinaikos | 25 | 20 | 27.4 | .544 | .467 | .709 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | .6 | 8.5 | 12.5 |
| 2005–06 | 23 | 22 | 30.1 | .492 | .269 | .785 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 2.3 | .8 | 8.7 | 13.1 | |
| 2006–07† | 24 | 24 | 29.1 | .489 | .460 | .780 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.2 | .6 | 8.9 | 14.3 | |
| 2007–08 | 19 | 19 | 30.9 | .484 | .435 | .769 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 1.8 | .7 | 8.5 | 15.1 | |
| 2008–09† | 21 | 12 | 27.3 | .486 | .441 | .863 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 1.5 | .5 | 8.5 | 14.0 | |
| 2009–10 | 12 | 9 | 26.7 | .559 | .516 | .738 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .3 | 9.4 | 13.7 | |
| 2010–11† | 22 | 21 | 30.5 | .433 | .370 | .872 | 3.9 | 6.2* | 1.6 | .1 | 12.5 | 18.5 | |
| 2011–12 | 23* | 21* | 30.0 | .448 | .425 | .882 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 1.5 | .5 | 11.5 | 16.4 | |
| 2012–13 | 27 | 25 | 31.5 | .368 | .315 | .712 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 1.4 | .4 | 8.1 | 13.1 | |
| 2013–14 | 29 | 27 | 31.2 | .324 | .283 | .763 | 2.4 | 6.2* | 1.4 | .1 | 8.9 | 12.8 | |
| 2014–15 | 27 | 27 | 27.3 | .410 | .379 | .814 | 2.3 | 5.9 | .9 | .3 | 8.0 | 12.1 | |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 1 | 21.2 | .459 | .376 | .827 | 2.3 | 4.2 | .8 | .2 | 7.2 | 10.3 | |
| CareerEL | 278 | 228 | 28.7 | .442 | .375 | .795 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 1.6 | .4 | 9.0 | 13.7 | |
| CareerSL/EL | 291 | 228 | 28.0 | .440 | .373 | .794 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 1.6 | .4 | 8.7 | 13.2 | |
| Denotes years in which Diamantidis won aGold medal (first place) | |
| Denotes years in which Diamantidis won aSilver medal (second place) |
| Led the competition |
| Year | Tournament | National Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Europe Under-20 | Greece Under-20 | 8 | N/A | 23.5 | .444 | .200 | .333 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 2.5 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 8 | N/A | 23.5 | .444 | .200 | .333 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 2.5 | .0 | 3.0 | ||
| Year | Tournament | National Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mediterranean Games | Greece Men | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1.5 |
| 2003 | EuroBasket qualifiers | 4 | N/A | 17.2 | .571 | .500 | .000 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.2 | |
| 2003 | EuroBasket | 6 | N/A | 16.0 | .214 | .200 | .636 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | |
| 2004 | Summer Olympics | 6 | N/A | 18.7 | .381 | .200 | .692 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 4.5 | |
| 2005 | EuroBasket | 7 | 7 | 31.4 | .303 | .214 | .682 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 5.4 | |
| 2006 | Stanković World Cup | 3 | N/A | 22.3 | .750 | .500 | .000 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 4.7 | |
| 2006 | World Cup | 9 | N/A | 29.9 | .511 | .440 | .708 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 8.4 | |
| 2007 | EuroBasket | 9 | 9 | 32.8 | .362 | .350 | .923 | 5.0 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 8.9 | |
| 2008 | World OQT | 4 | N/A | 26.8 | .654 | .600 | .500 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 11.0 | |
| 2008 | Summer Olympics | 6 | N/A | 28.3 | .421 | .368 | .833 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 7.3 | |
| 2010 | World Cup | 6 | 6 | 29.2 | .465 | .353 | .667 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 10.0 | |
| Career | 64 | N/A | 26.3 | .437 | .364 | .723 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 6.8 | ||
Silver
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