Panagiotis "Notis" Giannakis (, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece. He started his senior career at the age of just 13 at Ionikos Nikaias and after noticeable success, he achieved extraordinary success as a player with Aris Thessaloniki from 1984 to 1993, in partnership with Greek basketball's biggest star Nikos Galis, while achieving victory as the national team captain in EuroBasket 1987 in Athens, Greece's first major tournament win in non-Olympic sport which, along with Aris' extraordinary success, cultivated the sport in the country. At the end of his career, he won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996. As head coach, he most prominently led Greece to its second European trophy in EuroBasket 2005 at Serbia and Montenegro, where a team of new and talented stars shone brightest under the nurturship of Giannakis. He would repeat the success the next year, acquiring the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, where the team most notably scored a decisive win against the USA stars of the NBA in the semi-final, which would be USMNBT's last loss in a tournament until 2019. However, Greece's arch rivals Spain would defeat Giannakis' team in the final, as they would do again in the semi-finals of the 2007 EuroBasket. Outside of the Greek national team, he would coach Greek clubs like Aris, where he had the most success as player, Olympiacos, where he achieved renewed success, and the China men's national basketball team. As a player, he was primarily a point guard, but he could also play at the shooting guard position. During his playing career, Giannakis was also widely-known under his nickname of "O Drákos" (), or "The Dragon" in English.Is a Leader Allowed to Fail? The Story of the “Dragon”.'We didn't fight:' Coach rues China's lack of commitment on defense.GIANNAKIS, UN «DRAGON» PRÊT À TOUT CROQUER .Le Dragon Giannakis n’a pas soufflé le show au Limoges CSP .
On February 3, 2008, Giannakis was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, over the previous half-century, by EuroLeague Basketball's Experts Committee.EuroLeague official website, Experts decide European Club Basketball's 50 greatest contributors. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball.PANAGIOTIS GIANNAKIS. In 2021, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 headlined by Daly, Giannakis, Messina. In 2022, he was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.Greek League Hall of Fame welcomes Ford, Bodiroga, Radja, Wilkins, Tarpley.
A true floor general, Giannakis began his club basketball playing career in Greece, with Ionikos Nikaias. After that, he before moved to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki, where he spent the most important part of his pro playing career. In Thessaloniki, he helped to lead "The Yellows" (Aris) to three consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances between 1988 and 1990, as well as to a FIBA European Cup (later renamed to Saporta Cup) title in 1993. In the summer of 1993, he was transferred to the Greek club Panionios Athens, and finally a year later, to the Greek club Panathinaikos Athens, with whom he won a EuroLeague championship in 1996.
Giannakis was, along with Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Fasoulas, and Fanis Christodoulou, one of the four main stars of the legendary late 1980s Greece men's national basketball team that put Greece on the world basketball map. He was Greece's team captain, when they won the gold medal at the EuroBasket of 1987, and were the silver-medalists at the same championship two years later. Furthermore, Giannakis was also an important member of the Greece men's national team, when they reached the EuroBasket's semifinals in 1993 and 1995, as well as the FIBA World Cup's semifinals in 1994.
After his playing career ended, Giannakis was the head coach of the Athenian professional club team, Maroussi Athens, which he led to the forefront of the Greek League. Giannakis was also the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus, which he led to the 2010 EuroLeague Final, and of the Greece men's national basketball team. Under Giannakis' guidance, the Greece men's national team won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket, and the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Cup in Japan, where Greece upset Team USA, by a score of 101–95. He was also the head coach of the senior Chinese national team.
Early years Giannakis was born and raised in a poor neighborhood of Nikaia, Athens. Ηis father Dimitris, hailed from Asia Minor, and was an owner of a motorbike workshop; his mother Kalliope, was a weaver. Giannakis is the youngest of five brothers.Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης Το ταξίδι του Δράκου
Giannakis started playing football around his neighborhood. He showed an early inclination to sports, and also tried the sport of basketball. He began watching the games of a local basketball club, and he was later approached by the head coach of the youth team of Ionikos Nikaias, who asked him to join their team.
Club playing career Ionikos Nikaias Giannakis began his club career with the youth teams of Ionikos Nikaias, in 1971. His first head coach, George Vassilakopoulos, moved Giannakis up to the club's senior men's first team, from the youth squad, in 1972, when he was at the age of just 13. The club was playing in the Greek 2nd Division at the time. In 1975, the club was promoted up to the top-tier level Greek First Division. Giannakis' exceptional play with Ionikos Nikaias, at such a young age, drew the eyes of pro basketball experts on him.
On January 24, 1981, Ionikos Nikaias, led by a then 22-year-old Giannakis, played against Aris Thessaloniki, which was led by Nikos Galis. Aris won in a tight game, by a score of 114–113. The game is memorable in the history of Greek pro club basketball, because in the game, Giannakis scored 73 points, and Galis scored 62 points,Euroleague.net My name is Giannakis. Panayotis Giannakis. as they achieved the second and fourth most points ever scored in a single game of the Greek League basketball championship.Greek Basket League statistical leaders
Boston Celtics In 1981, the American basketball coach Dick Dukeshire, who had coached Giannakis with the senior Greek men's national team, asked Giannakis to move to the United States, to play college basketball at the Hellenic College. Dukeshire believed that Giannakis was good enough to play in the NBA. At that time, the Boston Celtics used the facilities of the Hellenic College's campus in Brookline, Massachusetts, for their training camp and practices. Dukeshire believed that if Giannakis was training with the school's team at the same time that the Celtics were there, that he had a chance to make the Celtics roster. Giannakis eventually agreed to move to the US, and he joined the Hellenic College Owls team.Attitude defines Giannis Antetokounmpo more than altitude.
While at training at Hellenic College, Giannakis was eventually noticed by the Celtics, and they invited him to join the team's 1981 summer league camp. However, during the summer training camp, Giannakis suffered a career-threatening knee injury that required multiple knee surgeries,Όταν ο Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης γκρέμισε τα 'δέντρα' της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης . and a lot of rehab time. During the knee surgery operation, it was also decided by the surgeon performing the procedure, that Giannakis' ACL would have to be removed from his knee. Giannakis was told by the doctor that performed the surgery that he didn't think it was possible for him to play professional basketball again.Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης: Το μπάσκετ, ο τραυματισμός, ο Γκάλης και τα 38 χρόνια γάμου . However, after ultimately recovering from his knee surgery, Giannakis went on to average 25 points per game with the Hellenic College Owls, during the 1981–82 season. After that, Giannakis then went back to Greece, where he finished the '81–'82 season with his previous club team, Ionikos Nikaias, in order to help them avoid a league relegation from Greece's top-tier level competition, the Greek Basket League.
Giannakis was ultimately selected by the Boston Celtics, in the 9th round of the 1982 NBA draft, with the 205th overall draft pick.1982 NBA Draft.TheDraftReview.com Panagiotis Giannakis. Giannakis then took part in the team's 1982–83 preseason training camp. About a week before the start of the regular season, the Celtics traded center Dave Cowens to the Milwaukee Bucks, in exchange for point guard Quinn Buckner, and due to that, they no longer had the need for another point guard. The Celtics then asked Giannakis to join their CBA affiliate team, as a way to test how he could adjust to the American style of basketball, with the chance for him to earn an NBA contract with the main team later on. However, Giannakis declined the offer, and returned to Greece, where he would play for the rest of his career.Ο Γιαννάκης και οι… Μπόστον Σέλτικς! (photos) .Π. Γιαννάκης: Το 1981 πήγα σε Boston Celtics – Στεναχωριόμουν που ο Γκάλης δεν ήταν το ίδιο ομαδικός” (videos) .
Aris Thessaloniki On August 3, 1984, Giannakis transferred to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki, after the club paid a transfer fee contract buyout to Ionikos Nikaias for his player rights, in the amount of 42 million Greek Drachmas,"Σεισμός στην Θεσσαλονίκη, ο Γιαννάκης στον Άρη" . which was considered a huge amount of money for a transfer buyout at that time. Giannakis also personally received a BMW car, a sporting goods store, and an 8 million drachmas signing bonus from Aris. With Aris, Giannakis teamed up with Nikos Galis, to form one half of an historic "tag-team", that took both Greek and European basketball by storm, for the years to come. From the 6th of March 1985, to the 5th of November 1988, the backcourt duo of Galis and Giannakis, led Aris Thessaloniki to an 80-game winning streak in the Greek League.Η επανάληψη στη Ν. Σμύρνη και το αήττητο σερί του Άρη .Οι 80 σερί νίκες του «αυτοκράτορα» .Αυτοκράτορας 80 σερί νικών, αήττητος για 44 μήνες! Σαν σήμερα 31 χρόνια πριν ξεκινούσε το μεγαλύτερο σερί στην ιστορία της Α1! .Το… αιώνιο ρεκόρ του 80-0!!! .Ο Αυτοκράτορας ΑΡΗΣ και το αήττητο σερί των 44 μηνών .
Giannakis' first season with Aris Thessaloniki, the 1984–85 season, was a great success. He won both the Greek League championship, and the Greek Cup title. In the final of the latter, Giannakis made 8-out-of-12 three-pointers, and led his team to victory over Panathinaikos Athens. And that was only the beginning, as six more consecutive Greek League championships, and five more Greek Cup titles with Aris were to follow.
With Aris Thessaloniki, Giannakis also took part in three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours. He played at the 1988 Ghent Final Four, at the 1989 Munich Final Four, and at the 1990 Zaragoza Final Four. Aris Thessloniki joined the elite of European basketball clubs at that time, but a European-wide title did not come for Giannakis and his team until a few years later.
In June 1991, Giannakis was chosen as a member of The Balkans Selection All-Star Team that played against The European Selection All-Star Team, at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee. The 1991 FIBA Jubilee event was held in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the sport of basketball in 1891, by the Canadian James Naismith. The FIBA Jubilee All-Star Game took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, in Piraeus, Athens, Greece, and it included numerous legends of European basketball. The Balkans' All-Star Selection won the game, by a score of 103–102.