Ioannis Giannoulis

Infobox Euroleague Player


image_size =
caption =
league = Greek League
Euroleague
position = Forward-Center
name = Ioannis Giannoulis

nickname =
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 245
team = Panionios BC
number =
nationality = flagicon|Greece Greek
birth_date = birth date and age|1976|6|5
birth_place = Toronto, Canada
career_start = 1994
former_teams = PAOK BC (1994-2001)
Panathinaikos BC (2001-02)
Huntsville Flight (2002-2003)
Panionios BC (2003-2004)
Unicaja Malaga (2004)
BC Kiev (2004-2005)
CB Sevilla (2005-2006)
Aris BC (2006-2007)

awards =

Ioannis Giannoulis (also spelled Giannis Giannoulis and Yannis Giannoulis) (born June 5, 1976 in Toronto, Canada) is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 2.08 m (6'10") in height and he plays mainly at the center position, but he can also play at the power forward position. He is currently a player of Panionios BC.

Pro career

Europe

A great talent at the center position, Giannoulis competed many years at the highest European level and participated in many Euroleague games. He was an All-Euroleague Second team member in the Euroleague 2000-01 season while playing for PAOK, before winning the Euroleague 2001-02 championship with Panathinaikos the following year.

In his career he has played with the following European teams: PAOK BC, Panathinaikos BC, Panionios BC, Unicaja Malaga, BC Kiev, CB Sevilla, and Aris BC.

Fall from grace

A controversial doping scandal at the end of the 2001-2002 season cost him a ban from all European continental Cup competitions for 2 years and basically ruined his career. However, that does not change the fact that Giannoulis was widely considered to be one of the best big men competing in Europe at the time he was banned.

After playing professionally in the United States during his drug ban, Giannoulis returned to Europe to play in the Greek League for the 2003-2004 season, but for several years his career never recovered to its previous level before the doping scandal.

Redemption

The 2007-2008 season did however mark a great comeback for Giannoulis. Playing with Panionios in the ULEB Cup he had a great individual season and in the Greek League 2007-08 season he led Panionios to the 3-2 series playoff victory over Maroussi BC in the league's next season 3rd place Euroleague qualifier match.

United States

Giannoulis also played with the NBA club the Toronto Raptors during the 2002 NBA pre-season. He played with the Huntsville Flight (now called the Albuquerque Thunderbirds) of the NBDL during the 2002-2003 season. Rather than submit to a drug test, Giannoulis requested to be waived from his NBDL team and returned back to the Greek League where drug testing was not currently being done on players.

Greek national team

Giannoulis has also been a member of the Greek national basketball team. He competed for Greece at the 1997 European Championship, the 1999 European Championship and also the 2001 European Championship. After being banned from pro competitions due to a drug scandal, he was removed from the national team and never was recalled to it.

External links

* [http://www.gian-gian.gr/ Personal website]
* [http://www.bulgarianbasket.com/en/player.php?id=2079&gender=3&sex=1&m=4 Bulgarianbasket.com player profile]
* [http://www.keyhoops.com/asp.net/main.players/card.aspx?player=6474&mode=averages&season=65 Keyhoops.com player profile]
* [http://www.eurobasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=GRE&PlayerID=12636 Eurobasket.com player profile]
* [http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.teamID_291.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_1997.roundID_1504.playerID_16661.html FIBAEurope.com player profile]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?seasoncode=U2007&gamecode=229&clubcode=pan&pcode=AIH Euroleague.net profile]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/g/gianngi01d.html Basketball-reference.com stats]