Efthimios Rentzias facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Efthimios Rentzias
Ευθύμιος Ρεντζιάς

Personal information
Born	(1976-01-11) January 11, 1976 (age 49) Trikala, Greece
Nationality	Greek
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Pro career	1993–2006
Career history
1993–1997	PAOK Thessaloniki
1997–2002	FC Barcelona
2002–2003	Philadelphia 76ers
2003–2004	Ülkerspor
2004–2005	Montepaschi Siena
2005–2006	Forum Valladolid
Career highlights and awards
2× FIBA Korać Cup champion (1994, 1999) 2× Spanish League champion (1999, 2001) Spanish Cup winner (2001) Italian Supercup winner (2004) Greek Cup winner (1995) 2× Greek League All-Star (1996 I, 1996 II) Greek League Hall of Fame (2022) Turkish Cup winner (2004) Turkish Supercup winner (2003) FIBA Under-19 World Cup MVP (1995) Acropolis Tournament MVP (1998)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing  Greece FIBA Under-19 World Cup Gold 1995 Greece Under-19 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Gold 1993 Turkey Under-16 Silver 1991 Greece Under-16

Efthimios "Efthimis" Rentzias (born January 11, 1976) is a famous retired Greek basketball player. He played for big teams like FC Barcelona in Spain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. Standing at 2.12 meters (about 6 feet 11 inches) tall, he played as a center. In 2022, he was honored by being added to the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.

Playing Career

Playing in Europe

Rentzias started playing basketball with youth teams in Trikala, Greece. At 17, he became a professional player with PAOK Thessaloniki in the Greek Basket League (1993–94 season). With PAOK, he won the FIBA Korać Cup in 1994, which was a European championship. He also helped his team win the Greek Basketball Cup in 1995.

Later, he moved to Spain to play for FC Barcelona (1997–98 season). With Barcelona, Rentzias won his second FIBA Korać Cup in 1999. He also won two Spanish League championships with Barcelona, in 1999 and 2001. In his last year with Barcelona (2001–02), he scored about 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds per game.

Playing in the NBA

The Denver Nuggets picked Rentzias as the 23rd player in the 1996 NBA draft. However, he decided not to play in the NBA at that time. His draft rights were later traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 1997. Then, in 2002, the Hawks traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rentzias finally played in the NBA with the 76ers during the 2002–03 NBA season. He played in 35 games and scored about 1.5 points per game. At that time, he was only the second Greek-born player to join an NBA team. The 76ers released him in August 2003.

Returning to Europe

After leaving the NBA, Rentzias played for other European teams. He played for Ülkerspor in Turkey, Montepaschi Siena in Italy, and Forum Valladolid in Spain. Rentzias wanted to finish his career back with PAOK, his first professional team. Sadly, in August 2006, he had to retire from basketball at age 30 because of injuries.

Playing for Greece

Junior National Team

Rentzias was a key player for Greece's junior national basketball teams. He won a silver medal at the 1991 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. He then won a gold medal at the 1993 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship.

In 1995, Rentzias was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1995 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He led Greece to win the gold medal in that tournament. In the final game against Australia, he scored 33 points and got 21 rebounds. Greece also beat a strong U.S.A. team that included future NBA stars like Vince Carter and Stephon Marbury. During this time, many thought Rentzias was one of Europe's most talented young basketball players.

Senior National Team

Rentzias also played for the senior Greek national team from 1992 to 2003. He played in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. This was only the second time Greece's senior men's team had played in the Summer Olympics. In the 1996 Olympics, he averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds per game.

He also played for Greece in other big FIBA tournaments. These included the 1994 FIBA World Championship and several FIBA EuroBasket tournaments (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003). In 1998, Rentzias was named the MVP of the Acropolis International Basketball Tournament.

NBA Statistics

Regular Season

Awards and Achievements

Professional Career

• 2× FIBA Korać Cup Champion: (1994, 1999)
• Greek Cup Winner: (1995)
• 2× Greek League All-Star (1996 I, 1996 II)
• 2× Spanish League Champion: (1999, 2001)
• Spanish Cup Winner: (2001)
• Turkish Supercup Winner: (2003)
• Turkish Cup Winner: (2004)
• Italian Supercup Winner: (2004)
• Greek League Hall of Fame: (2022)

Greek Junior National Team

• 1991 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: 2 Silver

• 1993 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship: 1 Gold

• 1995 FIBA Under-19 World Cup: 1 Gold

• 1995 FIBA Under-19 World Cup: All-Tournament Team
• 1995 FIBA Under-19 World Cup: MVP

Greek Senior National Team

• Acropolis Tournament MVP: (1998)

See also

In Spanish: Efthimios Rentzias para niños