Evangelos "Vangelis" Mantzaris (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ευάγγελος "Βαγγέλης" Μάντζαρης, born April 16, 1990) is a

professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Ionikos Nikaias Ionikos Nikaias (full name Athlitikos Omilos Ionikos Nikaias, A.O. Ionikos Nikaias / el, Α.Ο. Ιωνικός Νικαίας) is a Greek multi-sports club that is based in Nikaia, Piraeus. It was founded in 1965, and it has teams in football, b ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

. He is a 1.96 m (6'5") tall

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

. He also represents the senior National Basketball Team of Greece internationally.

Professional career

Peristeri

Mantzaris began his professional career in the Greek 2nd Division with

Peristeri Peristeri (Greek language, Greek: Περιστέρι, meaning "pigeon/dove" in Greek) is a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. With 139,981 inhabitants (2011 census), it is the seventh-largest municipali ...

, the team of his hometown. With Peristeri, he won the Greek 2nd Division championship in 2009.

Olympiacos

On September 5, 2011, Mantzaris signed a four-year deal with the top-tier level

and EuroLeague club Olympiacos Piraeus. He won both the EuroLeague and Greek League championships in 2012, being a useful tool for the team of coach

Dušan Ivković Dušan "Duda" Ivković ( sr-cyrl, Душан "Дуда" Ивковић; 29 October 1943 – 16 September 2021) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He served as head coach of the senior Serbian national basketball team from 20 ...

, especially due to his defensive ability. In January 2013, Mantzaris suffered a season-ending

knee injury In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the h ...

, after rupturing the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

in his right knee during a Greek Basket League derby against PAOK Thessaloniki at

PAOK Sports Arena P.A.O.K. Sports Arena ( el, Κλειστό γήπεδο ΠΑΟΚ) is an indoor arena located in Pylaia, Thessaloniki, Greece, and it hosts the men's basketball, women's basketball, men's volleyball and women's volleyball departments of the mul ...

. Despite suffering the knee injury, he remained close to his teammates both in and out of the locker room in order to support them, as they won the EuroLeague 2012–13 season championship. Mantzaris returned to action seven months later and in early October of the same year won the

FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, also commonly referred to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs, or the FIBA Club World Cup, is a professional basketball clubs competition that is endorsed by FIBA and the NBA. Historically, its purpose has be ...

against Pinheiros at

Ginásio José Corrêa Ginásio Poliesportivo José Corrêa is an indoor sporting arena that is located in Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil. The capacity of the arena is 5,000 people for basketball and volleyball games. History The arena was used for some of the prelimina ...

, Brazil. In the two finals, he averaged 9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists, helping Olympiacos to celebrate the title. On 29 July 2014, Mantzaris extended his contract with Olympiacos through 2017. Mantzaris won the Greek League 2014–15 season and Greek League 2015–16 season national domestic championships with Olympiacos, under the instructions of former

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

assistant coach, Ioannis Sfairopoulos, being the starting

of his team in both seasons. He also competed in the 2015 EuroLeague Finals versus

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, and in the 2017 EuroLeague Finals against Fenerbahçe, in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, however without earning the trophy. On June 16, 2017, Mantzaris signed a three-year contract extension with Olympiacos.

UNICS Kazan

On July 20, 2019, Mantzaris was released from Olympiacos, after eight seasons, and signed with

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS (russian: БК УНИКС) is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 ...

of the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...

and the EuroCup, playing under fellow Greek coach

Dimitrios Priftis Dimitrios Priftis ( gr, Δημήτρης Πρίφτης; born October 27, 1968) is a Greek professional basketball coach who was most recently served as the head coach for Tofaş of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi. Club coaching career After h ...

. He left in December, returning to Greece.

Promitheas Patras

On December 30, 2019, Mantzaris returned to Greece and signed with EuroCup side Promitheas Patras. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. On October 8, 2020, Mantzaris re-signed with the team.

Return to Peristeri

On December 17, 2020, Mantzaris officially returned to Peristeri after nine years.

Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski

On August 6, 2021, he has signed with Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish basketball leag ...

. In four games he averaged five points, five assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.

Hapoel Eilat

On October 4, 2021, Mantzaris signed with Hapoel Eilat of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

PAOK

On November 11, 2021, Mantzaris signed with PAOK of the

Ionikos

On September 22, 2022, Mantzaris moved to

National team career

Greek junior national team

As a member of the junior national basketball teams of Greece, Mantzaris won the gold medal at the

2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Greece from July 25, 2008 until August 3. The hosts, Greeks, emerged as the champions after beating the Lithuanians in the final, 57–50 to clinch th ...

and the silver medal at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Mantzaris also won the gold medal at the

2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the 12th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The cities of Rhodes and Ialysos, in Greece, hosted the tournament. Greece won their second title. Israel and Belgium were relegated to Divis ...

, and the silver medal at the

2010 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2010 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the 13th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The cities of Zadar, Crikvenica and Makarska, in Croatia, hosted the tournament. France won their first title. Netherlands and the Czech Rep ...

, with Greece's junior national teams.

Greek senior national team

Mantzaris became a member of the senior men's

Greek national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team ( el, Eθνική Oμάδα Καλαθοσφαίρισης Ελλάδος) represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for ...

in 2011. He was a member of Greece's senior national teams that played at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, and the

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

. He also played at the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and at the

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

. He also represented Greece at the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2011–12† , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=7,

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

, 18 , , 14 , , 14.1 , , .212 , , .364 , , .385 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , .0 , , 1.9 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2012–13† , 15 , , 15 , , 20.9 , , .419 , , .438 , , .750 , , 2.5 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.5 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 29 , , 25 , , 23.6 , , .387 , , .364 , , .607 , , 3.4 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.5 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , 29 , , 29 , , 22.4 , , .433 , , .365 , , .609 , , 2.2 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .0 , , 5.1 , , 5.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 24 , , 24 , , 22.9 , , .405 , , .447 , , .719 , , 2.8 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 6.5 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 37 , , 37 , , 23.7 , , .348 , , .364 , , .696 , , 2.8 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .0 , , 5.8 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 31 , , 12 , , 19.7 , , .322 , , .275 , , .829 , , 2.1 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.4 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 183 , , 156 , , 21.5 , , .376 , , .365 , , .683 , , 2.6 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 4.8 , , 5.2

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

*2× EuroLeague

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

: (2012, 2013) *3× Greek League Champion: (2012, 2015, 2016) *

Champion: (

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

) *2× Greek League All-Star: (2014, 2020) * Greek 2nd Division Champion: (2009)

Greek junior national team

*2008

Albert Schweitzer Tournament The Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST) is an international basketball competition that is played between national basketball teams of the Under-18 men age category. It takes place every two years in Mannheim, Germany, and is contested between t ...

: *

: * 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Cup: *

: *

Personal life

Mantzaris is a resident of

, which is a west suburb of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, and the biggest municipality of the

Attica Region Attica ( el, Περιφέρεια Αττικής, translit=Periféria Attikís, ) is an administrative region of Greece, that encompasses the entire metropolitan area of Athens, the country's capital and largest city. The region is coextensive w ...

. His brother, Antonis Mantzaris, is also a professional basketball player. They were teammates from 2007, until the summer of 2011, with Peristeri Basketball Club. In 2009, they won the Greek 2nd Division championship with the club. He owns a café in the

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

, as well.

Professional career

Peristeri

Olympiacos

UNICS Kazan

Promitheas Patras

Return to Peristeri

Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski

Hapoel Eilat

PAOK

Ionikos

National team career

Greek junior national team

Greek senior national team

Career statistics

EuroLeague

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

Greek junior national team

Personal life

References

External links