Double Euroleague champion (2012-2013) Kostas Papanikolaou signed a contract with the Houston Rockets which will top his bank account a mere $4.8 million making him the fourth Greek National Team member to play for the NBA this year (Kalathes, Koufos and Antetokounmpo are the others).
The 24-year-old is considered one of the most talented European small forwards, an honor that made FC Barcelona spend $2million in the summer of 2013 to buy him off his Olympiacos’ contract and reward him with another $2million per year of contract (big bucks for European basketball). He went on to win the Spanish Championship in the summer of 2014 after winning the Euroleague tournament twice in a row with Olympiacos Piraeus.
The National Greek team member was drafted by the New York Knicks in 2012 (no48), though his draft rights moved on to Portland Trailblazers and then to the Houston Rockets as part of larger trades. It wasn’t till now that an NBA team decided he was crucial to join the most competitive league in the world.
The Trikala native will partner up with James Harden and Dwight Howard, two of the league’s most prominent players and will have to face off newly signed Trevor Ariza or Robert Covington and Scotty Hopson for the Houston Rockets’ starting “3” (small forward).
Last but not least, “Pap”, as he is widely known, will team up with old teammates Patrick Beverley and Joey Dorsey from their days at Olympiacos.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
