Michalis Lountzis

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.

Michalis Lountzis
No. 4 – Olympiacos
PositionPoint guard
LeagueGreek Basket League
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1998-08-04) August 4, 1998
Maroussi, Athens, Greece
NationalityGreek
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2019Panathinaikos
2017–2018→ Trikala
2018–2019→ Lavrio
2019–2020Lavrio
2020–2021Promitheas Patras
2021–presentOlympiacos
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  Greece
Men's Basketball
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2015 Greece Under-18
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship B
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Greece Under-20
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Greece Under-20

Early career

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.

Professional career

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]

National team career

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.

Awards and accomplishments

Club career

Greek junior national team

See also

References
  1. ΛΟΥΝΤΖΗΣ Μιχάλης | ΥΨΟΣ 1,98 (in Greek).
  2. Givony, Jonathan (8 June 2014). "2014 adidas EuroCamp: Day Two". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  3. "Panathinaikos signs Michalis Lountzis to a five-year deal". Sportando.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. Ανακοινώθηκε ο Λούντζης από τον Παναθηναϊκό. sport24.gr (in Greek). 23 June 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  5. "Panathinaikos 91, Panelefsiniakos 54". paobc.gr (in Greek). 12 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  6. Η ενδιαφέρουσα ζωή του Μιχάλη Λούντζη (in Greek).
  7. 2014-15 Playoffs CSKA MOSCOW 93 PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS 66
  8. Michalis Lountzis moves on loan to Trikala
  9. "Michalis Lountzis is a newcomer of Promitheas". Sportando. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  10. "Olympiacos signs Michalis Lountzis to three-year deal". Sportando. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  11. "Παναθηναϊκός: Mπαίνουν σε θέση μάχης!". onsports.gr (in Greek). 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  12. Michail LOUNTZIS (GRE) participated in 4 FIBA / FIBA Zones events.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.