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Panagiotis Giannakis to Head Coach Chinese National Basketball Team

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The Chinese Basketball Federation hired Panagiotis Giannakis as head coach of the National Team. Giannakis will coach the team at FIBA World Champioship scheduled for 2014 in Spain and at Rio 2016.

Giannakis is also the head coach of the French basketball team Limoges.

Panagiotis Giannakis, a retired Greek professional basketball player, was born January 1, 1959 in Nikaia, Greece and has been nicknamed “The Dragon” by Greek fans. He is the former head coach of the pro club Olympiacos, and the Greek National Basketball Team. Under Giannakis’ guidance, the Greek National team won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005, and the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. Giannakis also coached an Athenian professional team, Maroussi, which he led to the forefront of Greek League basketball.

A true floor general from the point guard position, Giannakis began his pro career in Greece with Ionikos Nikaias, before moving to Aris, where he spent the major part of his career. In Thessaloniki, he led Aris to three consecutive Euroleague Final Fours between 1988 and 1990, as well as to a Saporta Cup title in 1993. In the summer of 1993, he was transferred to Panionios, and finally a year later, to Panathinaikos, with whom he won a Euroleague championship in 1996. On February 3, 2008, Giannakis was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors over the last half-century by the Euroleague Basketball Experts Committee.

Giannakis was, along with Nikos Galis, one of the stars of the legendary Greek National Team that put Greece on the world basketball map. He was their captain when they won the EuroBasket of 1987, and were the silver-medalists at the same championship two years later. Furthermore, Giannakis was an important member of the national team when they reached the EuroBasket semifinals in 1993 and 1995, as well as the FIBA World Championship semifinals in 1994.

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