Giannis Ioannidis facts for kids
Ioannidis, while coaching the Greek club Olympiacos.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 February 1945 Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Died | 4 October 2023 (aged 78) |
| Career information | |
| Pro career | 1960–1978 |
| Coaching career | 1978–2003 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1960–1978 | Aris |
| As coach: | |
| 1977 | Ergotelis |
| 1978–1979 | Aris |
| 1979–1981 | G.S. Larissas |
| 1980–1981 | Greece |
| 1982–1990 | Aris |
| 1991–1996 | Olympiacos |
| 1996–1998 | AEK |
| 1999–2000 | Olympiacos |
| 2002–2003 | Greece |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
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Giannis Ioannidis (also spelled Ioannis, Yiannis, Yannis) was a famous Greek basketball player, coach, and later, a politician. He was born on February 26, 1945, and passed away on October 4, 2023. Many people consider him the best Greek professional basketball club coach of all time. He won an amazing 19 major Greek national club titles! He won 14 of these titles with the team Aris and 5 with Olympiacos.
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About Giannis Ioannidis
Giannis Ioannidis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, on February 26, 1945. He studied agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was married and had one daughter. Giannis Ioannidis passed away on October 4, 2023, when he was 78 years old.
Giannis Ioannidis's Basketball Journey
Playing Basketball
Giannis Ioannidis started playing basketball in 1959 with the youth teams of Aris. In 1960, he joined the main men's team of Aris in the Greek Basket League. He played for Aris until 1978, when he stopped playing professionally. He scored 4,970 points for Aris, making him the second-highest scorer in the club's history, right after Nikos Galis.
Coaching Basketball
Even while he was still playing, Ioannidis started coaching. In 1977, he became the head coach for Ergotelis, a team from Crete. He traveled between Thessaloniki and Crete and helped the team move up to the Greek B Basket League.
After he stopped playing, Ioannidis became a full-time basketball coach. He became the head coach of Aris. With Aris, he won eight Greek League championships, five Greek Cups, and one Greek Super Cup. He also led Aris to the Final Four of the EuroLeague three times in a row.
Later, he coached Olympiacos. There, he won four Greek League championships in a row and one Greek Cup. He also led Olympiacos to the Finals of the EuroLeague two times in a row.
Ioannidis was the coach behind a famous victory for Olympiacos. This happened against Panathinaikos in the last game of the 1995–96 Greek League Finals. Olympiacos won with a score of 73–38. This was his last game coaching Olympiacos at that time.
The next year, he joined AEK, where he coached for two seasons. With AEK, he reached another Final of the EuroLeague. After a short return to Olympiacos, he finished his coaching career with the senior men's Greek national team. He coached them at the 2003 EuroBasket.
Teams Coached
- Ergotelis: 1977
- Aris: 1978–79
- G.S. Larissas: 1979–81
- Greece: 1980–81
- Aris: 1982–90
- Olympiacos: 1991–96
- AEK: 1996–98
- Olympiacos: 1999–00
- Greece: 2002–03
Political Career
Giannis Ioannidis announced he was retiring from professional basketball in 2004. Soon after, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the New Democracy party. He represented the Thessaloniki A area in the 2004 general election and was re-elected in 2007. From September 2007, he served as the Deputy Minister of Culture, in charge of Sports.
In the 2014 regional election, he ran for Regional Governor of Central Macedonia. However, he was defeated in the second round. In the January 2015 legislative election, he also lost his seat in parliament.
Awards and Accomplishments
Titles Won
- 12× Greek League Champion:
- 1979, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 (with Aris)
- 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 (with Olympiacos)
- 6× Greek Cup Winner:
- 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 (with Aris)
- 1994 (with Olympiacos)
- Greek Super Cup Winner: 1986 (with Aris)
- Greek 2nd Division Champion: 1980 (with Gymnastikos)
Other Honors
- 3× Greek League Runner-Up:
- 1984 (with Aris)
- 1992 (with Olympiacos)
- 1997 (with AEK)
- 2× Greek Cup Runner-Up:
- 1984 (with Aris)
- 1998 (with AEK)
- 3× EuroLeague Finals Runner-Up:
- 1994, 1995 (with Olympiacos)
- 1998 (with AEK)
- 6× EuroLeague Final Four Appearances:
- 1988, 1989, 1990 (with Aris)
- 1994, 1995 (with Olympiacos)
- 1998 (with AEK)
See also
In Spanish: Giannis Ioannidis para niños
