| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1942-12-21)21 December 1942 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 October 2013(2013-10-07) (aged 70) Athens, Greece | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1959–1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1973–1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1975 | AEK Athens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1977 | Apollon Patras | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1974 | Aigaleo Athens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | AEK Athens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Apollon Patras | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | GS Kifissias | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | AEK Athens | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As a player:
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Medals
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Georgios Amerikanos (alternate spellings: Giorgos, George) (Greek: Γιώργος Αμερικάνος; 21 December 1942 – 7 October 2013) was a Greek professionalbasketball player andcoach.[1] He was nicknamedGlobal, orWorldwide,[2] due to his last name meaning American in English, and the level of his game being "All-World". In honour of his great contributions to the club as a player, his number 10 jersey was retired byAEK Athens, in 2015.[3][4]
Amerikanos was born inNikaia,Piraeus,Athens,Greece. His parents wererefugees fromAsia Minor. At a young age, Amerikanos started playing the sport of basketball with theyouth club of HAN Nikaias (YMCA).
Amerikanos began his senor men'sclub career in 1959, when he joined the Greek clubAEK Athens. He would eventually become one of the best players in the history of the club. With AEK, he won 6Greek League championships, in the years 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1970. While a member of AEK, he was theGreek League Top Scorer twice, in the years 1965 and 1968.
Amerikanos also led AEK Athens to the1966 Final Four of theFIBA European Champions Cup, which is now known as theEuroLeague. That 1966 Final Four was the first time that the EuroLeague ever used afinal four system. Amerikanos had also thus led a Greek team to a final four in the EuroLeague, for the first time ever.
Amerikanos also led AEK Athens to the championship of the2nd-tier levelFIBA European Cup Winners' Cup of the1967–68 season. That was the first European championship that was won by any Greek team, in any sport.[5] Along withSlavia VŠ Prague's legendary playerJiří Zídek, Amerikanos was thetop scorer of the finals, with a total of 31 points scored. That finals game was played at thePanathenaic Stadium, inAthens, where a total of 120,000 people were in attendance for the game. 80,000 fans were watching the game from inside the stadium, while another 40,000 fans watched and listened to the game right outside of the stadium's outer walls.
Amerikanos was also theGreek League Top Scorer twice during his career, in 1965 and 1968. In 1975, Amerikanos moved to the Greek clubApollon Patras. With Apollon, he won theGreek 2nd Division championship in 1976. Amerikanos retired from playing professional club basketball in 1977.
Amerikanos was a member of the senior men'sGreek national team. In 68caps played with Greece's senior men's team, he scored a total of 1,076 points, for an average of 15.8 points per game. He played with Greece at the1960 FIBA Pre-Olympic Tournament, the1961 FIBA EuroBasket, the 1964 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and the1965 FIBA EuroBasket. He was Greece's leading scorer at the 1961 EuroBasket, the 1964 European OQT, and the 1965 EuroBasket, with scoring averages of 15.5 points, 15.7 points, and 17.4 points per game.
Amerikanos also played with Greece at the1967 Mediterranean Games, and at fiveBalkan Championships, in the years 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, and 1969.
After his playing career ended, Amerikanos worked as abasketball coach. He was thehead coach of the Greek clubsErgotelis,Apollon Patras,AEK Athens, andAigaleo Athens. He led AEK Athens to the finals of theGreek Cup, in 1978.
Silver
Bronze Bronze Silver
