Kosta Koufos facts for kids
Koufos with the Nuggets in 2013
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| Free agent | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Center | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 24, 1989 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Nationality | Greek / American | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | GlenOak (Canton, Ohio) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2007–2008) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2008–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Utah Flash | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Denver Nuggets | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | CSKA Moscow | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Olympiacos | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | NBA G League Ignite | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | London Lions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Konstantine Demetrios "Kostas" Koufos was born on February 24, 1989. He is a professional basketball player with both Greek and American citizenship. He plays the center position.
Kostas played one season of college basketball at Ohio State University. After that, he was chosen by the Utah Jazz as the 23rd pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He has played for several teams in the NBA and in Europe.
Contents
- High School Basketball Journey
- College Basketball Career
- Professional Basketball Journey
- Playing for the Utah Jazz (2008–2010)
- Time with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2011)
- Joining the Denver Nuggets (2011–2013)
- Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2015)
- Years with the Sacramento Kings (2015–2019)
- Playing in Europe: CSKA Moscow (2019–2020)
- Olympiacos (2021)
- NBA G League Ignite (2021)
- London Lions (2022–2023)
- Playing for the Greek National Team
- About Kostas's Life
- Awards and Achievements
- Career Statistics
- See also
High School Basketball Journey
Kostas Koufos went to GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio. He played as a center for the GlenOak Golden Eagles basketball team.
During his junior year, Kostas was amazing. He scored about 24 points and grabbed 11.1 rebounds per game. He also blocked four shots per game. Because of his great play, he was named Second-Team All-State.
In his senior year, Kostas got even better. He averaged 25.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game. He helped his team end Canton McKinley's 41-game winning streak. In that game, he scored 32 points, had 19 rebounds, and 10 blocks. This helped the Golden Eagles win 56–55 in overtime.
After his senior season, Kostas was named the Division I player of the year. He also earned First-Team All-State honors. He was even chosen to play in the 2007 McDonald's All-American Game. Experts thought he was one of the best players in the country.
College Basketball Career
Kostas Koufos played for the Ohio State Buckeyes for one season. This was during the 2007–08 school year.
He was named to the third-team All-Big Ten and the league's All-Freshman Team. He was one of the top players in the Big Ten conference. He ranked fifth in scoring with 14.4 points per game. He was also fifth in rebounds with 6.7 per game. Kostas was second in blocked shots with 1.8 per game.
He helped the Buckeyes reach the final game of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). They won the championship game 92–85 against UMass. Kostas had a fantastic game with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots. He was named the NIT Most Valuable Player (MVP). After this great freshman year, he decided to enter the 2008 NBA draft.
Professional Basketball Journey
Playing for the Utah Jazz (2008–2010)
The Utah Jazz picked Kostas Koufos as the 23rd player in the 2008 NBA draft. During his first year, he also played for the Utah Flash in the NBA D-League. He played 84 games for the Jazz over two seasons. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Time with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2011)
On July 13, 2010, Kostas was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This trade also involved two future draft picks.
Joining the Denver Nuggets (2011–2013)
Kostas moved to the Denver Nuggets on February 22, 2011, as part of a three-team trade. On January 25, 2012, he signed a new three-year contract with the Nuggets. He had his best years in Denver, averaging 6.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2015)
On June 27, 2013, Kostas was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He played two seasons with Memphis. During this time, he averaged 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Years with the Sacramento Kings (2015–2019)
Kostas signed with the Sacramento Kings on July 13, 2015. He played for the Kings until June 30, 2019, when he became a free agent.
Playing in Europe: CSKA Moscow (2019–2020)
On July 19, 2019, Kostas signed a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow. This team plays in the VTB United League and the EuroLeague. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. The team ended his contract on May 27, 2020.
Olympiacos (2021)
On February 20, 2021, Kostas signed with Olympiacos. This team plays in the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He played with them until the end of the 2020–21 season.
NBA G League Ignite (2021)
On November 5, 2021, Kostas joined the NBA G League Ignite. This team is part of the NBA G League.
London Lions (2022–2023)
On July 13, 2022, Kostas signed with the London Lions. He played for them during the 2022–23 BBL season. He left the team on April 20, 2023.
Playing for the Greek National Team
Greek Junior Team
Kostas was part of the junior Greek national under-18 team. He played in the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Spain. He led his team to the final game of the tournament. Even though Greece lost to Serbia in the finals, Kostas was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). He led all players in points, rebounds, and blocked shots. He averaged 26.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game.
Greek Senior Team
In 2009, Kostas started playing for the main Greek national basketball team. He played in the EuroBasket 2009 tournament and helped his team win a bronze medal. In that tournament, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
He also played in EuroBasket 2011, where he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. Kostas had his best tournament with the senior Greek team at EuroBasket 2015. He averaged 10 points and 6.6 rebounds over 8 games.
He also played for Greece in the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. From 2009 to 2016, Kostas played in 57 games for Greece. He scored a total of 503 points, averaging 8.8 points per game.
About Kostas's Life
Kostas Koufos is the son of Katerina and Alex Koufos. His parents moved to the United States from Greece. His father, Alex, was a children's doctor in Canton. Sadly, his father passed away when Kostas was nine years old.
Kostas has dual citizenship, meaning he is a citizen of both the United States and Greece. This is why he can play for the Greek national team. He can also speak the Greek language.
Awards and Achievements
- 2007 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship:
Silver
- 2007 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship: MVP
- 2008 National Invitation Tournament: MVP
- EuroBasket 2009:
Bronze
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Utah | 48 | 7 | 11.8 | .508 | .000 | .706 | 2.9 | .4 | .3 | .6 | 4.7 |
| 2009–10 | Utah | 36 | 0 | 4.8 | .468 | .000 | .600 | 1.3 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 |
| 2010–11 | Minnesota | 39 | 1 | 8.6 | .435 | .000 | .500 | 2.5 | .2 | .2 | .5 | 2.7 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 11 | 1 | 8.9 | .500 | .000 | .632 | 3.0 | .0 | .2 | .5 | 4.9 |
| 2011–12 | Denver | 48 | 24 | 16.5 | .599 | .000 | .600 | 5.4 | .3 | .5 | .9 | 5.5 |
| 2012–13 | Denver | 81 | 81 | 22.4 | .581 | .000 | .558 | 6.9 | .4 | .5 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| 2013–14 | Memphis | 80 | 22 | 16.9 | .495 | .000 | .645 | 5.2 | .5 | .4 | .9 | 6.4 |
| 2014–15 | Memphis | 81 | 3 | 16.6 | .508 | .000 | .647 | 5.3 | .5 | .4 | .8 | 5.2 |
| 2015–16 | Sacramento | 78 | 14 | 19.0 | .532 | .000 | .548 | 5.4 | .4 | .5 | .9 | 6.8 |
| 2016–17 | Sacramento | 71 | 62 | 20.0 | .551 | .000 | .613 | 5.7 | .7 | .5 | .7 | 6.6 |
| 2017–18 | Sacramento | 71 | 12 | 19.6 | .571 | .000 | .446 | 6.6 | 1.2 | .7 | .5 | 6.7 |
| 2018–19 | Sacramento | 42 | 1 | 12.0 | .477 | .000 | .417 | 4.2 | .9 | .4 | .4 | 3.7 |
| Career | 686 | 228 | 16.4 | .534 | .000 | .582 | 5.0 | .5 | .7 | .4 | 5.7 | |
NBA Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Utah | 9 | 0 | 3.4 | .400 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .1 | .9 |
| 2011 | Denver | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| 2012 | Denver | 3 | 2 | 8.7 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 3.7 | .0 | .0 | .3 | .7 |
| 2013 | Denver | 6 | 2 | 16.7 | .368 | 1.000 | .833 | 3.5 | .5 | .5 | .7 | 3.3 |
| 2014 | Memphis | 7 | 0 | 6.4 | .438 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.1 | .3 | .3 | .4 | 2.6 |
| 2015 | Memphis | 11 | 0 | 11.5 | .540 | .000 | .600 | 3.5 | .4 | .4 | .5 | 3.4 |
| Career | 37 | 4 | 8.9 | .460 | 1.000 | .800 | 2.6 | .2 | .2 | .4 | 2.4 | |
EuroLeague Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | CSKA Moscow | 17 | 1 | 9.3 | .547 | – | .556 | 2.8 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| 2020–21 | Olympiacos | 8 | 5 | 10.1 | .529 | – | .200 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.6 | – |
College Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Ohio State | 37 | 35 | 27.1 | .508 | .349 | .680 | 6.7 | .5 | .4 | 1.8 | 14.4 |
See also
In Spanish: Kosta Koufos para niños
