Sofoklis Schortsanitis facts for kids
Schortsanitis with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2011
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| Born | 22 June 1985 Tiko, Cameroon |
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| Nationality | Greek / Cameroonian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 380 lb (172 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2000–2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | Iraklis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Cantù | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Aris Thessaloniki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Olympiacos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Panathinaikos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | PAOK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Aries Trikala | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Ionikos Nikaias | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sofoklis Schortsanitis (born on June 22, 1985) is a former professional basketball player from Cameroon and Greece. He was also an Olympian, meaning he played in the Olympic Games.
Sofoklis was known for his powerful playing style as a center. People often called him "Big Sofo" or "Baby Shaq" because he was so strong and dominant on the court, much like the famous NBA player Shaquille O'Neal.
He won the EuroLeague title in 2014 with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He also helped the Greece men's national basketball team win a silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and a bronze medal at the 2009 EuroBasket.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Sofoklis Schortsanitis was born in Tiko, Cameroon. When he was very young, he moved to Greece with his mother, which is his father's home country. He has a younger brother named Alexandros.
Sofoklis first started playing basketball in his hometown of Kavala, Greece. At first, he didn't really like the sport, but his parents encouraged him to play. Over time, he grew to love basketball and practiced a lot. A scout and coach soon noticed his amazing talent and helped him get serious about the game.
Playing Professional Basketball
Sofoklis Schortsanitis began his professional basketball journey with the team Iraklis in Greece. This was during the 2000–01 Greek League season. By the 2002–03 season, when he was just 17 years old, he was already averaging 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
After playing in Greece, he moved to Italy for a short time in the 2003–04 season with the team Cantù. He then returned to Greece to play for Aris in the 2004–05 season.
Playing for Olympiacos
In the 2005–06 season, Sofoklis joined Olympiacos, a very strong team. He became a key player and helped them reach the quarterfinals of the EuroLeague. His great playing even caught the eye of Panagiotis Giannakis, who was the coach for the Greece men's national basketball team.
Over the next few years, Sofoklis worked hard to stay in top shape. By the 2008–09 season, he was playing very well and helped Olympiacos reach the EuroLeague Final Four. In the 2009–10 season, he continued to improve, leading Olympiacos to the EuroLeague Final. They played against Barcelona but lost the game.
Time with Maccabi Tel Aviv
On August 5, 2010, Sofoklis signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a famous team from Israel. With other talented players like Jeremy Pargo and Chuck Eidson, he helped Maccabi reach the 2011 EuroLeague Final. They played against Panathinaikos and lost a close game.
During the 2010–11 EuroLeague season, Sofoklis averaged 12 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. His excellent performance earned him a spot on the All-EuroLeague Team, which means he was one of the best players in the league that year.
In the 2011–12 season, Sofoklis dealt with a knee injury, which made it hard for him to play his best. Even with the injury, he helped Maccabi reach the EuroLeague quarterfinals.
Moving to Panathinaikos
On July 4, 2012, Sofoklis signed a three-year contract with the Greek team Panathinaikos. He chose to play for them even though other teams offered him more money. However, in July 2013, Panathinaikos announced that he would not continue with the club.
Returning to Maccabi
On July 10, 2013, Sofoklis returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv and signed another three-year contract. In this season, his team won the EuroLeague championship in 2014! This was the first EuroLeague title of his career. He played in 29 EuroLeague games that season, averaging 9.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Later Career Teams
- Crvena zvezda: In August 2015, Sofoklis signed with Crvena zvezda in Serbia. He played a few games before leaving the team in October 2015.
- PAOK: In November 2015, he joined PAOK in Greece. He played well in the EuroCup, averaging 13.4 points per game.
- Apollon Patras: In December 2016, Sofoklis joined Apollon Patras. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury during practice, which meant he couldn't play any games that season.
- Aries Trikala: On October 18, 2017, Sofoklis returned to playing with Aries Trikala in the Greek Basket League. He made his debut in January 2018.
- Ionikos Nikaias: On July 24, 2019, he signed with Ionikos Nikaias for the 2019–20 Greek Basket League season.
NBA Draft Rights
Sofoklis was chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2003 NBA draft. He was the 34th player picked overall. In 2006, the Clippers were interested in him, but he was still under contract with Olympiacos, so he couldn't join them.
In 2010, after his contract with Olympiacos ended, he played in the NBA Summer League with the Clippers. However, he didn't get a contract with them that time. Later, his draft rights were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2012, and then to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014.
Retirement from Basketball
On December 10, 2020, Sofoklis Schortsanitis announced that he was retiring from professional club basketball. He was one of the few players from the 2003 NBA draft class who never actually played in the NBA.
Playing for His Country
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Sofoklis played for the Greek national basketball teams at different age levels.
Youth National Teams
- He was part of the Under-16 team in 2001.
- He helped the Under-18 team win a bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.
- He was on the Under-19 team that won a bronze medal at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
- He also won a gold medal and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the 2002 Albert Schweitzer Under-18 World Tournament.
Senior Greek National Team
Sofoklis joined the senior Greece men's national basketball team and played in major competitions.
- In the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, he helped Greece win the silver medal. They famously defeated Team USA in the semifinals, with Sofoklis scoring 14 points in that game.
- He also played for Greece at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
- At the 2009 EuroBasket in Poland, Sofoklis played a huge role in Greece winning the bronze medal game against Slovenia. He scored 23 points in that important game.
- He also played in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Player Style and Skills
Sofoklis Schortsanitis was known as a classic "old school" center. This means he was great at playing close to the basket on offense, using his strength to score. On defense, he was excellent at protecting the basket and the area right under it.
He was measured at about 6 feet 10 inches tall with shoes on, and had a very long wingspan of 7 feet 2 inches. His official playing weight was listed as 380 pounds (about 172 kilograms). His size and strength made him a very tough player to guard.
Career Statistics Overview
Sofoklis Schortsanitis played in many professional basketball games throughout his career. For example, in the EuroLeague, one of Europe's top basketball leagues, he played in 197 games over many seasons. He averaged 8.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague, showing his consistent performance at a high level.
See also
In Spanish: Sofoklis Schortsanitis para niños
