Theofanis "Fanis" Christodoulou ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Χριστοδούλου; born May 22, 1965) is a Greek former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played mainly at

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

, but his complete all-around skills allowed him to play all five positions. During his playing career, many

sports journalists Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

called him "The European

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons ...

". While his nickname among his teammates was "Bembis" ("Baby").Sports-Reference.com Fanis Khristodoulou Nickname(s): Bembis.
A two-time

All-EuroBasket Team The FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament Team is the FIBA Europe award that is bestowed upon the five best players of each FIBA EuroBasket tournament. Pau Gasol holds the record for most selections in the All-EuroBasket Team, with seven. FIBA Euro ...

selection, in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, Christodoulou is a candidate for the

FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...

Professional career

Christodoulou started his playing career with the youth teams of the Greek club Dafni. He spent most of his pro

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

career with

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...

, where he played from 1983 to 1997. With Panionios, he won the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

title in the year 1991. Christodoulou spent the last year of his career playing with

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

. With Panathinaikos, he won the Greek League championship, in the 1997–98 season. After that, he retired from playing pro club basketball.

NBA draft rights

Christodoulou was drafted by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, in the

1987 NBA Draft The 1987 NBA draft was held on June 22, 1987, in New York City. This draft included two future members of the NBA 50 Greatest Players list, David Robinson and Scottie Pippen, as well as fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was named to t ...

, with the 90th pick overall, but he never decided to leave Greece and play in the NBA.

National team career

Christodoulou was an important member of the

Greece men's 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 ...

that won the gold medal at the

1987 EuroBasket The 1987 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1987, was the 25th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Greece between 3 and 14 June 1987. Twelve national teams entered the ev ...

and the silver medal at the

1989 EuroBasket The 1989 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1989, was the 26th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Yugoslavia between 20 and 25 June 1989. Eight national teams entered th ...

. Christodoulou was also a member of the Greece national team that finished in 4th place at the 1994 FIBA World Championship. He also played at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, the 1990 FIBA World Championship, the

1993 EuroBasket The 1993 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1993, was the 28th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Germany between 22 June and 4 July 1993. Sixteen national teams entered ...

, the

1995 EuroBasket The 1995 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1995, was the 29th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1996 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ea ...

, the

1997 EuroBasket The 1997 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1997, was the 30th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, giving a be ...

, and at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Personal life

Christodoulou's older brother, Christos, was also a professional basketball player. They played together in the same

team,

. Fanis also owns an OPAP betting shop in Paros.

Awards and accomplishments

Greek senior national team

: *

FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament Team The FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament Team is the FIBA Europe award that is bestowed upon the five best players of each FIBA EuroBasket tournament. Pau Gasol holds the record for most selections in the All-EuroBasket Team, with seven. FIBA Euro ...

: 2 (

)

Club titles

* Greek League: 1 (with

: 1997–98) *

: 1 (with

: 1990–91)

Personal awards

* Greek League MVP: (1993) * No. 4 retired by Panionios *

Candidate

References

External links

FIBA ProfileDraftexpress.com ProfileTheDraftReview.com ProfileUSBasket.com ProfileHellenic Basketball Federation Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christodoulou, Fanis 1965 births Living people 1986 FIBA World Championship players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Dafnis B.C. players FIBA EuroBasket-winning players Greek men's basketball players 1990 FIBA World Championship players Greek Basket League players Olympic basketball players of Greece Panathinaikos B.C. players Panionios B.C. players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Basketball players from Athens 1994 FIBA World Championship players