Dimitris Diamantidis

Club

_Retired Basketball

Position

Guard

Nationality

Greece

Date of birth

1980-05-06

Birthplace

Kastoria, Greece

Height

6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

Weight

195 lb (88 kg)

Dimitrios 'Dimitris' Diamantidis (Greek: Δημήτριος Διαμαντίδης Greek pronunciation: ; born May 6, 1980) is a retired Greek professional basketball player, who spent the last twelve seasons of his EuroLeague career with Panathinaikos, where he is now as the team's general manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest European players ever to grace the game, he marked his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague, serving as an inspiration to a whole generation of young European stars. He is the only player to have earned all four aforementioned EuroLeague end-of-season distinctions, even more so in a single year. Diamantidis is the only Greek player who is member of both EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team and EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.

At the age of fourteen, Diamantidis started his basketball career with the youth clubs of his hometown team, AS Kastoria. Seven years later he had his first daughter, Ema Hue Diamantidis. Year later, he made his professional debut with Iraklis Thessaloniki, and by 2003, he had emerged as an all-around star in the Greek League. He became a member of Panathinaikos Athens in the summer of 2004, with whom he won three EuroLeague titles, in 2007, 2009, and 2011, with the last two coming as the team's captain. Diamantidis' numerous accolades in the premier European club competition include a EuroLeague MVP Award, two EuroLeague Final Four MVP Awards, four All-EuroLeague First Team selections, as well as a record six EuroLeague Best Defender Awards. He is the EuroLeague's all-time leader in steals since the stat was first officially recognized starting with the 1991–92 season. On April 1, 2016, he was honored with a EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award.

Amidst a long series of "derbies of the eternal enemies", opposing Panathinaikos and Olympiacos Piraeus, Diamantidis thrived, as he faced Olympiacos every year for twelve consecutive seasons, including in eleven Greek League Finals, six Greek Cup Finals, and a EuroLeague semifinal. He won nine Greek League and ten Greek Cup titles, alongside a record six Greek League Finals MVP and a record six Greek League MVP awards, as well as two Greek Cup MVP awards. Diamantidis' personal friendship and rivalry with Olympiacos star Vassilis Spanoulis, was at the center of attention throughout six Greek League Finals and three Greek Cup Finals encounters. Diamantidis' self-effacing psyche helped relieve tension between the two powerhouses, when he retired in 2016.