“The Lost Tapes – Mundobasket Edition”, powered by Stoiximan, with Theo Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis!

In the fascinating Episode 3 of the mini interview series “The Lost Tapes – Mundobasket Edition,” powered by Stoiximan, basketball aficionados are treated to an intimate conversation between two Greek basketball legends, Theo Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis with Vassilis Skountis!
The dynamic duo transports viewers back to the unforgettable 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where they orchestrated a breathtaking upset against a formidable Team USA and a silver medal, leading to Netflix producing “The Redeem Team” documentary about one of the biggest upsets in the history of the game! A celebration of resilience and teamwork, this compelling installment serves as a poignant reminder of the indelible impact that the 2006 World Cup had on the global basketball landscape, setting the stage for the anticipated showdowns of the upcoming 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Watch the full interview here:

Theo Papaloukas, a 4x All-EuroLeague selection, a member of the EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team and one of the 50 greatest EuroLeague players of all time was a revolutionary figure in basketball with an uncanny feel for the game, symbolizing the rise of European basketball in the new millennium. He started his career in 1995, with his local club of Ampelokipoi, before being transferred two years later to Dafni, and then to Panionios in 1999. His performances with the latter earned him a transfer to EuroLeague powerhouse Olympiacos, where in 2002, he won his first title, the Greek Cup. A year later, he moved to Moscow for CSKA, the club that he would help to regain its past glory. After making a minimal impact during his first two seasons in the Russian capital, he evolved into a major contributor to CSKA’s success, playing as a sixth man in the 2004–05 season, both in the EuroLeague and the Russian Super League A.
In 2006, Papaloukas led CSKA to their first EuroLeague title in thirty-five years, thus earning an All-EuroLeague First Team selection and the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in the process. The following year, he cemented his status as a EuroLeague competition icon, after being named the EuroLeague MVP, before falling short of a second straight EuroLeague title in the championship’s final against Panathinaikos. In 2008, he won his second EuroLeague title with CSKA, in what would be his last year in Moscow as the next summer he returned to Olympiacos, reaching another two EuroLeague Final Fours, giving him a then record of eight consecutive EuroLeague Final Four appearances, a record he shared at the time with his former teammate J.R. Holden.
Papaloukas helped lead the Greece men’s national basketball team to the 2005 EuroBasket title, and to a silver medal in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
After retiring from professional basketball he has focused on nourishing the next generation of young athletes, establishing Eurohoops Academy, one of the elite basketball programs in Greece!

His many awards and accomplishments include the following:

With professional clubs:

• Greek 2nd Division Champion: (1999)
• Eurobasket.com’s Greek 2nd Division Player of the Year: (1999)
• 3× Greek League assists leader: (2001, 2002, 2009)
• 5× Greek League All-Star: (2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011)
• 3× Greek Cup Winner: (2002, 2010, 2011)
• 7× Russian League Champion: (2003–08, 2013)
• 3× Russian Cup Winner: (2005–07)
• 3× Russian League Player of the Year (2005, 2006, 2007)
• Russian Cup MVP: (2006)
• 2× EuroLeague Champion: (2006, 2008)
• 4× All-EuroLeague Team: (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
• 2× All-EuroLeague First Team: (2006, 2007)
• 2× All-EuroLeague Second Team: (2008, 2009)
• EuroLeague Final Four MVP: (2006)
• Triple Crown Champion: (2006)
• FIBA Europe Men’s Player of the Year: (2006)
• All-Europe Player of the Year: (2006)
• 2× EuroLeague assists leader: (2007, 2009)
• EuroLeague MVP: (2007)
• EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer: (2007)
• 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors: (2008)
• EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team: (2010)
• Israeli State Cup Winner: (2012)
• Adriatic League Champion: (2012)
• Israeli Super League Champion: (2012)
• VTB United League Champion: (2013)
• EuroLeague Basketball Legend: (2013)
• 101 Greats of European Basketball: (2018)
• Greek Basket League Hall of Fame: (2022)

With the Greek National Team:

• 7× Acropolis Tournament Champion: (2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• EuroBasket 2005: Gold Medal
• EuroBasket All-Tournament Team: (2005)
• 2006 FIBA Stanković World Cup: Gold Medal
• 2006 FIBA World Championship: Silver Medal
• 2006 FIBA World Championship: All-Tournament Team
• 2008 FIBA World OQT: Gold Medal

Dimitris Diamantidis meanwhile is widely regarded as one of the greatest European players ever to grace the game, marking his era by being the most versatile player in the EuroLeague and serving as an inspiration to a whole generation of young European stars. He is the only player to have earned all four aforementioned EuroLeague end-of-season distinctions, even more so in a single year and the only Greek player who is a member of both the EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team and the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.
At the age of fourteen, he started his basketball career with the youth clubs of his hometown team, AS Kastoria and five years later, he made his professional debut with Iraklis Thessaloniki, emerging by 2003 as an all-around star in the Greek League. He became a member of Panathinaikos B.C in the summer of 2004, with whom he won three EuroLeague titles, in 2007, 2009, and 2011, with the last two coming as the team’s captain. His numerous accolades in the premier European club competition include a EuroLeague MVP Award, two EuroLeague Final Four MVP Awards, four All-EuroLeague First Team selections, as well as a record six EuroLeague Best Defender Awards. He is the EuroLeague’s all-time leader in steals since the stat was first officially recognized starting with the 1991–92 season, while on April 1, 2016, he was honored with a EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award. He also won nine Greek League and ten Greek Cup titles, alongside a record six Greek League Finals MVP and a record six Greek League MVP awards, as well as two Greek Cup MVP awards.
As a member of the Greece men’s national basketball team, Diamantidis won a EuroBasket gold medal in 2005, anchoring a defense that allowed just 59.7 points per game. He also scored the three-pointer that sealed the fate of the semifinal game against France, just seconds before the game’s final buzzer, while he led that tournament in assists, and was a part of the All-EuroBasket Team. In 2006, he also played a pivotal role in a FIBA World Cup silver medal campaign, with Greece stunning Team USA in the semifinals, and Diamantidis finishing as the competition’s steals leader. He was also a two-time Olympian, as he donned the Greek colors in 2004 and 2008, and on both occasions earned the fifth place of the tournament, which is tied for the all-time best finish for Greece. On the basis of his myriad achievements, he was named the Mister Europa Player of the Year by Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2007 and the Greek Male Athlete of the Year in 2007.

His many awards and accomplishments include the following:

As a player:

• 3× EuroLeague champion (2007, 2009, 2011)
• EuroLeague MVP (2011)
• 2× EuroLeague Final Four MVP (2007, 2011)
• 4× All-EuroLeague First Team (2007, 2011–2013)
• 6× EuroLeague Best Defender (2005–2009, 2011)
• 2× EuroLeague assists leader (2011, 2014)
• EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team (2010)
• EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team (2020)
• EuroLeague Legend (2016)
• 101 Greats of European Basketball (2018)
• 2× Triple Crown winner (2007, 2009)
• FIBA EuroStar (2007)
• 9× GBL champion (2005–2011, 2013, 2014)
• GBL Hall of Fame (2022)
• 10× Greek Cup winner (2005–2009, 2012–2016)
• 6× GBL Most Valuable Player (2004, 2006–2008, 2011, 2014)
• 4× GBL Finals MVP (2006, 2007, 2011, 2014)
• 3× GBL Defensive Player of the Year (2008, 2009, 2011)
• 11× All-GBL Team (2004–2008, 2010–2014, 2016)
• 8× All-GBL Defensive Team (2009–2016)
• 5× GBL assists leader (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2015)
• 2× Greek Cup MVP (2009, 2016)
• 2× Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer (2009, 2013)
• GBL Most Popular Player (2016) Mister Europa Player of The Year (2007)
• Greek Male Athlete of the Year (2007)
• All-Europe Player of the Year (2007)

With the Greek National Team:

• EuroBasket 2005: Gold Medal
• EuroBasket assists leader (2005)
• All-EuroBasket Team (2005)
• EuroBasket All-Tournament Team: (2005)
• EuroBasket Dream Team (2020)
• 2× Acropolis Tournament MVP (2005, 2006)
• 2006 FIBA Stanković World Cup: Gold Medal
• 2006 FIBA World Championship: Silver Medal
• 2008 FIBA World OQT: Gold Medal
• 2001 Mediterranean Games: Silver Medal
• 7× Acropolis Tournament Champion: (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Stay tuned for more episodes of “The Lost Tapes – Mundobasket Edition” coming soon…!

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