Antonis Fotsis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Antonis Fotsis
Αντώνης Φώτσης

Fotsis, as a Panathinaikos player, in 2008
No. 6 – Ilysiakos
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1981-04-01) 1 April 1981 (age 44) Maroussi, Greece
Listed height	6 ft 10.25 in (2.09 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies
Pro career	1996–present
League	Greek C League
Career history
1996–1997	Ilysiakos
1997–2001	Panathinaikos
2001–2002	Memphis Grizzlies
2002–2003	Panathinaikos
2003–2005	Real Madrid
2005–2008	Dynamo Moscow
2008–2011	Panathinaikos
2011–2013	Olimpia Milano
2013–2017	Panathinaikos
2017–present	Ilysiakos
Career highlights and awards
3× EuroLeague champion (2000, 2009, 2011) FIBA EuroStar (2007) FIBA EuroStars Top Scorer (2007) EuroCup champion (2006) Liga ACB champion (2005) LBA All-Star (2012) 10× Greek League champion (1998–2001, 2003, 2009–2011, 2014, 2017) 6× Greek Cup winner (2003, 2009, 2014–2017) 6× Greek All-Star (2001, 2003, 2009–2011, 2014) Greek All-Star Game MVP (2011) Greek League Best Young Player (2001) 2× All-Greek League Second Team (2009, 2011) All-Greek League Defensive Team (2011) Greek League Hall of Fame (2022) 3× Acropolis Tournament MVP (2002, 2008, 2011) 2× Nike Hoop Summit All-World Team (1998, 1999) EuroLeague records since the 2000–01 season Most rebounds in a game
Medals Event 1st 2nd 3rd FIBA World Cup 0 1 0 FIBA Stanković World Cup 1 0 0 FIBA EuroBasket 1 0 1 FIBA U-18 European Championship 0 0 1 Men's basketball Representing  Greece FIBA World Cup Silver 2006 Japan FIBA Stanković World Cup Gold 2006 China FIBA EuroBasket Gold 2005 Serbia & Montenegro Bronze 2009 Poland FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Bronze 1998 Bulgaria U-18 Team

Antonis Fotsis (born April 1, 1981) is a Greek professional basketball player. He plays for Ilysiakos in Greece. Antonis is about 6 feet 10 inches (2.09 meters) tall. He mostly plays as a power forward. Sometimes, he can also play as a center or a small forward. He was even the captain of the Greek national team! In 2022, Antonis Fotsis was added to the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame, which is a special honor for great players.

Antonis Fotsis' Basketball Journey

Starting in Europe

Antonis Fotsis was born in Maroussi, Athens, Greece. He started his professional basketball journey in 1996 with a Greek team called Ilysiakos. Even at a young age, he was known as a very talented player. When he was just 16, he moved to another famous Greek club, Panathinaikos.

It's interesting to know that Antonis started playing as a point guard when he was younger. Then he moved to small forward, and finally to power forward. Because he learned to play different positions, he became one of the best power forwards in Europe. He was very skilled in basketball technique. As a top young player in Greece, he was chosen twice for the Nike Hoop Summit All-World Team in 1998 and 1999. This team features the best young basketball players from around the world.

Antonis didn't play much in his first two years with Panathinaikos. But by the 1999–2000 season, he became a key player. He helped Panathinaikos win the EuroLeague championship in 2000, even though he was only 19! The EuroLeague is one of the biggest basketball competitions in Europe. The next year, he was a starter for Panathinaikos when they reached the finals of the FIBA SuproLeague.

Playing in the NBA

In 2001, Antonis Fotsis was picked by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 2001 NBA draft. The Grizzlies team later moved and became the Memphis Grizzlies. Antonis played one season in the NBA, which is the top basketball league in North America.

During the 2001–02 NBA season, he played in 28 games for the Grizzlies. He scored about 3.9 points and got 2.2 rebounds per game. His best game was on January 19, 2002, when he scored 21 points against the Orlando Magic. His last NBA game was on April 17, 2002, where he scored 10 points and got 6 rebounds.

Coming Back to Europe

After his time in the NBA, Antonis returned to Panathinaikos for the 2002–03 season. He quickly became one of the team's main players, scoring about 14.5 points per game in the EuroLeague. That year, he helped Panathinaikos win both the Greek Cup and the Greek League championship.

In 2003, he moved to Real Madrid, a famous team in Spain. He helped Real Madrid reach the EuroCup Finals in 2004 and win the Spanish League championship in 2005.

Later in 2005, Antonis joined Dynamo Moscow in Russia. He was one of the top players on the team, along with another Greek player, Lazaros Papadopoulos. In 2006, Antonis won the EuroCup championship with Dynamo. The next year, his team reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals. On March 21, 2007, Antonis had an amazing game in the EuroLeague. He scored 22 points and set a new record with 24 rebounds in one game! This helped Dynamo win in overtime.

In 2008, Antonis Fotsis returned to Panathinaikos for the second time. He was a starter for the team when they won the special Triple Crown in the 2008–09 season. This means they won three major championships in one year: the EuroLeague, the Greek League, and the Greek Cup. Antonis was very important to this success with his strong defense and important baskets. He played more minutes than most other players in the 2009 EuroLeague Final Four.

In the 2009–10 season, Panathinaikos won the Greek League championship again. Antonis was named the Greek League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for April that season. He continued to show his great defensive skills.

In 2011, he signed with Olimpia Milano in Italy for two seasons. Then, in 2013, he returned to Panathinaikos for a third time, signing a three-year contract. He signed another two-year contract in 2016 but left the team in 2017.

In August 2017, Antonis announced he was returning to Ilysiakos, the very first team he played for in 1996.

Playing for His Country: The Greek National Team

Fotsis, as a member of the senior Greece men's national basketball team.

Antonis Fotsis also played for the Greek national basketball team. With the junior team, he won a bronze medal at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.

He played for the senior Greek national team in many big tournaments:

• The 2004 Summer Olympics
• The 2005 EuroBasket, where Greece won the gold medal
• The 2006 FIBA World Championship, where Greece won the silver medal
• The 2008 Summer Olympics
• The 2009 EuroBasket, where Greece won the bronze medal

Antonis became the captain of the Greek national team before the 2009 EuroBasket. He also played in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2011 EuroBasket, 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and 2013 EuroBasket.

He is the 7th highest scorer of all time for the Greek senior men's national team, with 1,734 points!

Fun Facts About Antonis Fotsis

Antonis Fotsis has a cool nickname: "Batman"! He got this nickname when he was a teenager because he could jump really high and seemed to "glide" above the basketball hoop, just like the comic book hero.

When he was at his best, Antonis was great at blocking shots and getting offensive rebounds. He was also an excellent 3-point shooter, which is impressive for a power forward. He played very physically on defense because he was so athletic.

He also has Turkish citizenship.

Career Statistics

NBA Stats

EuroLeague Stats

Awards and Achievements

Team Championships

• 3× EuroLeague Champion: (2000, 2009, 2011)
• 10× Greek League Champion: (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017)
• 6× Greek Cup Winner: (2003, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Triple Crown Winner: (2009) - Won EuroLeague, Greek League, and Greek Cup in one season!
• Spanish League Champion: (2005)
• EuroCup Champion: (2006)

Individual Awards

• 2× Nike Hoop Summit All-World Team: (1998, 1999) - Recognized as one of the best young players in the world.
• Greek League Best Young Player: (2001)
• 4× EuroLeague Player of the Week
• 6× Greek League All-Star: (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)
• FIBA EuroStar: (2007)
• FIBA EuroStars Top Scorer: (2007)
• Greek League All-Star Game MVP: (2011) - Most Valuable Player in the Greek All-Star Game.
• Italian League All-Star: (2012)
• Greek League Hall of Fame: (2022) - A special honor for his career.
• Holds the Euroleague Basketball Company era Single Game Rebounding Record: (24) - Most rebounds in one game since the 2000–01 EuroLeague season.

Greek National Team Medals

• 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship: 3 Bronze
• 9× Acropolis Tournament Champion: (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
• 3× Acropolis Tournament MVP: (2002, 2008, 2011)
• 2005 EuroBasket: 1 Gold

• 2006 Stanković World Cup: 1 Gold

• 2006 FIBA World Championship: 2 Silver

• 2009 EuroBasket: 3 Bronze

See also

In Spanish: Antonis Fotsis para niños