Giannis Bourousis (

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 ...

: Γιάννης Μπουρούσης; born November 17, 1983) is a former Greek 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 who last played for ASK Karditsa of the

Greek A2 Basket League The Greek A2 Basket League ( el, Ελληνική Α2 Μπάσκετ Λιγκ, link=no), is a professional basketball league in Greece. It is the 2nd-tier level of pro competition, among clubs in the country. It is organized by the Hellenic Baske ...

. He is a 7 ft 0.75 in (2.15 m) 270 lb (122 kg) tall

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. A two-time

All-EuroLeague First Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selection, Bourousis has been compared to

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 ...

center

Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

' head coach

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taking over as coach of the Spur ...

. Bourousis was on 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

EuroBasket 2005 The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth ...

in Serbia, and played an instrumental role as Greece won the bronze medal at

EuroBasket 2009 The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

. He was also a member of the Greece men's national teams that finished fourth at

EuroBasket 2007 The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

, and fifth in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Early years

Bourousis originally began his athletic career training to be a professional

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, but he grew too tall for the sport, and so he took up playing basketball, at the age of 18. He began playing basketball as a member of the youth clubs of G.S. Karditsas.

Professional career

Bourousis began his professional career in the year 2001, with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club based in Nea ...

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 ...

. In 2006, he transferred to

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

of the

Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. Later that same year, he joined the Greek EuroLeague club

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 ...

. In 2009, he was offered a 3-year $12 million contract by the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

club the

. However, he turned down San Antonio's offer, and instead signed a 3-year contract extension with Olympiacos worth

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

5.1 million euros

net income In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest, a ...

. The contract contained a €1 million buyout amount, which could only be used to sign with an

team. After 5 years with

, the club decided to terminate his contract. In the summer of 2011, just weeks before signing with

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

, Bourousis was involved in a doping-related media controversy in Greece, after an unrelated

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

match-fixing probe of his (then future) father-in-law, Makis Psomiadis. However, Bourousis was quickly cleared of any suspected wrongdoing, after he submitted to drug testing for

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

protocols, which are overseen by the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...

, in order to be cleared to play with

FIBA EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...

. On July 6, 2011, Bourousis then agreed to a two-year contract with the Italian A League club

. In July 2013, Bourousis signed a contract with the Spanish League club

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 ...

. With Real Madrid, Bourousis won the

Spanish Supercup Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

in 2013, and the Spanish King's Cup 2014. In the summer of 2014, Real Madrid picked up their team option to keep him in the club for one more season. In the 2014–15 season, Bourousis won the EuroLeague 2014–15 season championship, after his team, Real Madrid, defeated his former team,

, by a score of 78–59 at the 2015 EuroLeague Final Four. Real Madrid also eventually finished the season winning the 2014–15 Spanish League championship, after a 3–0 series score in the ACB Finals against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. With that trophy, they won the

triple crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

. In September 2015, Bourousis signed a contract with the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

team

Saski Baskonia Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia, S.A.D., commonly known as Saski Baskonia (), also known as Cazoo Baskonia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the ...

. On December 30, 2015, he was named Spanish League Player of the Month, after being MVP of the week three times in the first half of the

2015–16 ACB season The 2015–16 ACB season was the 33rd season of the Spanish basketball league, also called Liga ACB, Liga Endesa in its sponsored identity. The regular season started on October 10, 2015, and ended on May 22, 2016. The playoffs was played from May ...

. He repeated his win again as the Spanish League's Player of the Month in January 2016, after averaging 18.5 points per game and 7 rebounds per game, including 24 points scored in the win against Real Madrid. On May 23, 2016, he was named the Spanish League's MVP of the 2015–16 season, after averaging 12.9 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, and 0.9 steals per game. On July 12, 2016, Bourousis signed a two-year contract 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 ...

. On July 4, 2017, Panathinaikos announced the termination of Bourousis' contract. On July 10, 2017, Bourousis signed with the

Zhejiang Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent con ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA). Bourousis spent the 2020–21 season 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 ...

. He averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. On September 28, 2021, Bourousis signed with ASK Karditsa of the

National team career

Greek junior national team

Bourousis was a member of the junior Greece national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in Lithuania.

Greek senior national team

EuroBasket Espagne vs Grèce, 15 septembre 2015 - 46

Bourousis was on the

that won the gold medal at the

in Serbia, and played an instrumental role as Greece won the bronze medal at the

. He was also a member of the Greece men's national teams that finished fourth in the

, and fifth in the

. During an international friendly game between the national teams of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, during the 2010 Acropolis Tournament, the Serbian player,

Nenad Krstić Nenad Krstić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Крстић, born July 25, 1983) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as the vice president of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, in charge of the men's basket ...

, hit Bourousis on the head with a chair. "I thought he was a fan attacking me", Krstić declared the next day. Bourousis first pressed charges against Krstić and decided to sue, but he quickly changed his mind and dropped the charges and the lawsuit. Bourousis was also a member of the Greece men's national teams that competed at the:

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

, the

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...

, the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in th ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

, the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, 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 ...

, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=4,

, 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .429 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.7 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , 12 , , 0 , , 7.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .429 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.8 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , 18 , , 0 , , 11.0 , , .510 , , .167 , , .500 , , 3.7 , , .3 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.4 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , 11 , , 8 , , 23.3 , , .438 , , .333 , , .833 , , 7.2 , , .3 , , .5 , , .5 , , 8.5 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=5,

, 19 , , 13 , , 16.0 , , .678 , , .409 , , .727 , , 5.7 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 8.6 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , 21 , , 10 , , 19.4 , , .500 , , .432 , , .769 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 5.8 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , 22 , , 7 , , 21.3 , , .591 , , .259 , , .625 , , 7.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , .5 , , 12.5 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , 17 , , 2 , , 16.4 , , .531 , , .471 , , .765 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .9 , , .6 , , 8.8 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 18 , , 11 , , 17.5 , , .530 , , .367 , , .678 , , 6.6 , , .7 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 10.7 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2,

Milano Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...

, 15 , , 14 , , 22.4 , , .466 , , .176 , , .688 , , 6.4 , , .5 , , .7 , , .7 , , 9.0 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 9 , , 8 , , 24.1 , , .573 , , .385 , , .745 , , 8.3 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .7 , , 14.0 , , 18.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2,

, 29 , , 29 , , 21.0 , , .524 , , .353 , , .817 , , 5.9 , , .9 , , .4 , , .8 , , 8.3 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2014–15† , 28 , , 10 , , 11.8 , , .505 , , .200 , , .727 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .5 , , .4 , , 5.0 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 29 , , 0 , , 25.1 , , .502 , , .383 , , .811 , , 8.7 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .8 , , 14.5 , , 21.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 7 , , 18.2 , , .399 , , .291 , , .788 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.8 , , 10.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 284 , , 119 , , 18.2 , , .513 , , .345 , , .744 , , 5.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , .7 , , 8.5 , , 11.5

Domestic leagues

Awards and accomplishments

Greece men's national team

Under-20

* 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship:

Senior

2005 EuroBasket The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth ...

: *

2009 EuroBasket The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

Club career

;AEK Athens * Greek League Champion: (2002) ;Olympiacos * 2×

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 im ...

Winner: (2010, 2011) ;Real Madrid * 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 ...

(

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

) * Spanish League Champion: (

) * 2×

Spanish Cup The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

Winner: (

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) * 2×

Winner: (

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 ...

) *

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

: Champion (2015) ;Panathinaikos * Greek League Champion: (2017) *

Winner: (2017) ;ASK Karditsas * Greek 2nd Division Champion: (2022)

Individual

* 2×

All-EuroLeague The All-EuroLeague Team is an EuroLeague awards, award for European professional club basketball system, Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 se ...

First Team: (2009, 2016) *

EuroLeague MVP of the Month The EuroLeague MVP of the Month is the award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, for the most valuable player of each month of the season. The award began in the 2004–05 season, after the EuroLeague eliminated the Eur ...

: (March 2016) * 8×

EuroLeague MVP of the Round The EuroLeague MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Round, previously known as the EuroLeague MVP of the Week, is an award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the best player of each round of the season. Eac ...

* Spanish League MVP: (2016) * All-Spanish League Team: (2016) * 2× Spanish League Player of the Month: (December 2015, January 2016) * 6× Greek League All-Star: (2006, 2007, 2008,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, 2010, 2011) * Greek All-Star Game MVP: (2009) * 3× Greek League Best Five: (2008, 2009, 2011)

Early years

Professional career

National team career

Greek junior national team

Greek senior national team

Career statistics

EuroLeague

Domestic leagues

Awards and accomplishments

Greece men's national team

Under-20

Senior

Club career

Individual

References

External links