Nikolaos "Nikos" Chougkaz (alternate spellings: Chougaz, Hougkaz, Hougaz) ( Greek: Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Χουγκάζ;

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

: Ⲛⲓⲕⲟⲗⲁⲟⲥ "Ⲛⲓⲕⲟⲥ" Ⲭⲱⲅⲕⲁⲍ; Arabic: نيكولاوس "نيكوس" شوكاز; born October 4, 2000, in Athens, Greece) is a Greek professional basketball player for Andorra of the Spanish

Liga ACB 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 ...

. At a height of tall, he plays at the power forward position.

Youth career

Chougkaz played three seasons of youth system basketball with the Greek club

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 ...

College career

Chougkaz played at a fully professional level of competition in the 2018–19 season. However, he was still able to retain his personal

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

status for the

NCAA DI NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

. That was because his contract with Panionios Athens was structured so that his salary would be below the maximum limit that the NCAA allows in order for players to keep their NCAA eligibility. Chougkaz moved to the United States, in order to play college basketball at Northwestern State University. He played with the

Northwestern State Demons The Northwestern State University athletic teams go by the Demons, with women's athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons, and its mascot is Vic the Demon. Once a member of the SIAA conference, the school now competes in the Southland Conf ...

, during the 2019–20 season. During his

Freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

season, he averaged 9.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, while shooting 40.7% overall from the field, 28.0% from three-point range, and 70.1% from the free-throw line. Ultimately, Chougkaz only played with the Demons for that one season, and he then returned to Greece, to play professionally.

Professional career

Panionios (2018–2019)

Chougaz started his professional career with Panionios Athens of the Greek Basket League in 2018. In his first season playing at a pro club level ( 2018–19), he averaged 3.4 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game, while shooting 42.9% overall from the field, 41.2% from 2-point range, 50.0% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free-throw line. While playing with Panionios, his contract allowed him to retain his

status for the NCAA.

Ionikos Nikaias (2020–2021)

After spending the 2019–20 season with the college basketball team

Northwestern State Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

, he joined the Greek League club Ionikos Nikaias. On November 22, 2020, Chougaz recorded career-highs in both

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

and

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, after he scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, in his team΄s win over Lavrio. On March 21, 2021, he tied the best three-point shooting record of the Greek League, after he shot 7 for 7 from three-point distance, in a win against Larisa. He finished that game with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, and he was later named league's MVP of the Week. He averaged 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, while shooting 42.9% overall from the field, 45.2% from 2-point range, 39.2% from 3-point range, and 74.7% from the free-throw line. during the Greek League's 2020–21 season.

Panathinaikos (2021–2024)

On July 20, 2021, Chougkaz signed a four-year contract with Greek Basket League champions and EuroLeague mainstays

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 ...

. He would remain on loan to Ionikos for the 2021–2022 season. In 12 league games with Ionikos, Chougkaz averaged 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 27 minutes per contest. Chougkaz was recalled to Panathinaikos on February 7, 2022. On February 25, 2022, he made his EuroLeague debut, at the age of 21, in a game against Crvena zvezda. In 13 league games with Panathinaikos, he averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10 minutes per contest. Additionally, he appeared in a total of 4 EuroLeague games. On February 3, 2023, after a half-season of limited playing time in 8 domestic league matches, Chougkaz was loaned to

, to be developed under their head coach Vassilis Spanoulis. In 9 games, he averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15 minutes per contest. During the 2023 offseason, Chougkaz was informed that he would be returning to the active roster of Panathinaikos for evaluation under the club's new head coach Ergin Ataman. However, on August 11, 2023, it was announced that Chougkaz would remain on loan to

for the 2023–2024 campaign. On June 30, 2024, Chougkaz was released from the Greek powerhouse and became a free agent.

Andorra (2024–present)

On July 10, 2024, Chougkaz signed a contract with Andorra of the

National team career

Greek junior national team

Chougkaz was a member of the junior national teams of Greece. With Greece's under-18 junior national team, he played at the

2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship was the 35th edition of the FIBA U18 European Championship. The competition took place in Riga, Ventspils and Liepāja, Latvia, from 28 July to 5 August 2018. Participating teams * * (Winners, 2017 FIBA ...

. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.2 assists, and 0.6 steals per game at the tournament. With Greece's under-19 junior national team, he played at the

2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup The 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup (Greek: Παγκόσμιο Κύπελλο Μπάσκετ FIBA Under-19 2019) was the 14th edition of the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, the biennial international men's youth basketball championshi ...

. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game at the tournament.

Greek senior national team

Chougkaz first played with the senior Greek national team on 20 February 2021, when he played at the 2022 EuroBasket qualifiers. In his first game with the men's national team, he had 3 points and 1 rebound in Greece's 84–69 loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Overall, in two games played, he averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game during the qualifiers. He also played with Greece at the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Personal life

Chougaz΄s Greek mother, Sonia Dafkou, was a long-time professional basketball player, having also played for

. His

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

father Chris, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, is a former professional basketball player and a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He has been the head coach of numerous clubs in Europe. His twin brother Robert, plays college basketball at Northwestern State University.NIKOS CHOUGKAZ Personal.
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References

External links

Nikos Chougkaz RealGM.com ProfileNikos Chougkaz Eurobasket.com ProfileNikos Chougkaz DraftExpress.com ProfileNikos Chougkaz ProBallers.com ProfileNikos Chougkaz Greek Basket League Profile

Nikos Chougkaz Greek Basket League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chougkaz, Nikos 2000 births Living people Basketball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Athens Greek Basket League players Greek expatriate basketball people in Spain Greek expatriate basketball people in the United States Greek men's basketball players Greek people of Egyptian descent Ionikos Nikaias B.C. players Northwestern State Demons basketball players Olympic basketball players for Greece Panathinaikos B.C. players Panionios B.C. players Peristeri B.C. players Power forwards