Michalis_Lountzis
Michalis Lountzis
Greek basketball player
Michalis Lountzis (alternate spelling: Michail) (Greek: Μιχάλης Λούντζης; born 4 August 1998) is a Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He is a 1.98 m (6'6") tall[1] point guard.
| No. 4 – Olympiacos | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Greek Basket League EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1998-08-04) August 4, 1998 (age 25) Maroussi, Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2019 | Panathinaikos |
| 2017–2018 | → Trikala |
| 2018–2019 | → Lavrio |
| 2019–2020 | Lavrio |
| 2020–2021 | Promitheas Patras |
| 2021–present | Olympiacos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lountzis started playing basketball in Zakynthos, where he is from. Lountzis was invited to the Next Generation Practices at the 2014 Adidas Eurocamp, in Treviso, Italy,[2] and, earlier that year, to the Jordan Brand Classic International Tour. Lountzis played with Kronos Agiou Dimitriou in Greece's amateur level fourth division, in the 2013–14 season.
On 23 June 2014, Lountzis signed a five-year deal with Panathinaikos of Greece's top-tier level Greek Basket League.[3][4] Lountzis made his professional debut at age 16, with Panathinaikos, on January 12, 2015, in a Greek Basket League victory over Panelefsiniakos.[5]
He became the youngest player ever to play in the Greek Cup Final,[6] when he played with Panathinaikos in their victory against Apollon Patras, in the 2015 Greek Cup Final, on April 5, 2015. He made his debut in the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague, at the age of 16, on April 14, 2015, in a playoff game against CSKA Moscow.[7]
On August 21, 2017, Lountzis was loaned to Trikala for the 2017–18 season.[8] On July 27, 2018, Lountzis was loaned once more, this time to Lavrio for the 2018–19 season. On July 2, 2019, Lountzis was released from his contract with Panathinaikos after five years.
On August 5, 2019, Lountzis agreed to a new two-year (1+1) contract with Lavrio. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.25 assists per game. On July 24, 2020, Lountzis moved to Promitheas.[9]
On July 6, 2021, he signed a three-year deal with Olympiacos.[10]
Greek junior national team
Lountzis was the captain[4] of the junior Greek Under-16 national team[11] at the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. He also played with Greece's junior national teams at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where he won a gold medal, and at the 2nd division 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B, where he won a bronze medal.[12] He also played at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he won a gold medal.
Greek senior national team
Lountzis first became a member of the senior Greek national basketball team in 2018. He played with Greece at the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification, and at the EuroBasket 2022.
Club career
- 3× Greek League Champion: (2017, 2022, 2023)
- 5× Greek Cup Winner: (2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023)
- 2× Greek Super Cup Winner: (2020, 2022)
Greek junior national team
- Givony, Jonathan (8 June 2014). "2014 adidas EuroCamp: Day Two". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- "Panathinaikos signs Michalis Lountzis to a five-year deal". Sportando.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- Ανακοινώθηκε ο Λούντζης από τον Παναθηναϊκό. sport24.gr (in Greek). 23 June 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- "Panathinaikos 91, Panelefsiniakos 54". paobc.gr (in Greek). 12 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- "Michalis Lountzis is a newcomer of Promitheas". Sportando. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- "Olympiacos signs Michalis Lountzis to three-year deal". Sportando. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- "Παναθηναϊκός: Mπαίνουν σε θέση μάχης!". onsports.gr (in Greek). 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.