Nick Galis

Nick Galis (born July 23, 1957 in New Jersey, USA), known in Greece as Nikos Galis (Greek: Νίκος Γκάλης), is a retired Greek American professional basketball player and a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. ^[1] Widely regarded as one of Europe's all-time greats in the sport, Galis is revered in Greece and is considered by many to be the greatest athlete the country has ever known.

Early years

The child of a poor immigrant family from Rhodes, Greece, Nick took up boxing in his early years, his father George Georgalis having been a very good boxer in his youth. He was persuaded to give up boxing by his mother, who was shaking with fright every afternoon that her son would return with a new facial injury. As a result, he started playing basketball and attended Union Hill High School in Union City, New Jersey. ^[2]

After high school, Galis enrolled at Seton Hall University as a college basketball player. In his senior season, Galis, a shooting guard, saw his scoring average reach 27.5 points per game, which was third in the nation behind Idaho State's Lawrence Butler (30.1 ppg) and Indiana State's Larry Bird (28.6 ppg),^[3] including a 48 point outburst against the University of Santa Clara. Finishing his collegiate career in 1979, Galis signed with agent Bill Manon, who also managed Diana Ross. Manon did not have Galis work out with any NBA team.^[4] Galis was eventually selected by the Boston Celtics in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft, 68th overall.^[2]

Due to a severe injury that he suffered during the Celtics pre-season training camp, the franchise was no longer interested in offering him a contract because Gerald Henderson had taken his place ^[4] and his injury would keep him out for the foreseeable future. It was then that Galis decided to pursue a professional career in Greece's A1 League.

Career in Greece

Greek National Team

Medal record
Competitor for  Greece
European Championships
Gold	1987 Greece	Greece
Silver	1989 Yugoslavia	Greece

Galis made the move across the Atlantic and signed to play with Aris of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1979. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos had also shown some interest in signing the newcomer, but it was Aris' interest that was the most persuasive. ^[2] His move to the country helped Greek basketball reach heights never before imagined. He played in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, where he led all players in scoring average with 33.0 points per game. In that tournament, he had a 53 point outburst against the Panamanian National Team.

Galis next led the Greek National Team to the Eurobasket 1987 gold medal. Averaging 37.0 points per game during the tournament, he was named MVP after scoring 40 points in the final against the Soviet National Team and its legendary player Šarūnas Marčiulionis for a 103-101 victory.

Galis also led Greece to the second place at Eurobasket 1989, averaging 35.6 points per game. Galis is remembered for a stunning effort against the Soviet team led by Marčiulionis and its other star player, Arvydas Sabonis, in the semi-final game. He scored 45 out of his team's 81 total points in a dramatic, last-gasp 81-80 victory. ^[5] The team settled for a second place finish against the ever-dominant Yugoslavian National Team.

Aris Thessaloniki

Averaging more than 30 points per game every season, Galis was the indisputable leader of Aris BC. Playing alongside other great players at Aris such as Panagiotis Giannakis and Slobodan Subotić, Galis won 8 Greek Championships (7 of them consecutively and 3 undefeated, in the years 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991), 6 Greek Cups (4 of them consecutively, in the years 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992), and led Aris to 3 consecutive appearances at the European Champions' Cup Final Four (1988-1990). In the one disappointment of an otherwise glittering career with Aris, all three European Champions' Cup appearances ended in defeat in the semi-finals, thus depriving him of the opportunity to shine on Europe's biggest club stage. ^[2] The team's performances and general standard of play however won the heart of every basketball fan in Greece, as well as creating thousands more Aris supporters. Indeed, cinemas and theaters would often reduce their admission prices on Thursday evenings when Aris was playing and the entire country settled down to watch them on television.

Panathinaikos Athens

After a disappointing season of his team in 1992, Galis was forced to leave Aris. ^[6] The new president of Aris and the fact that the team was then in decay were the main causes for his departure. Galis, who adored Thessaloniki, insisted about remaining in the club and playing for the team, as he believed that he still could offer much. Giorgos Rampotas, his personal trainer and friend, writes in "Galis' Biography" that Thessaloniki was what mattered most to Galis. Consequently, after he was forced to leave he even contemplated playing for Aris' greatest opponent PAOK, but he never actually decided to do so. ^[7]

Galis ended up moving to Athens, and specifically Panathinaikos, where he only managed to win one Greek Cup in 1993, his 7th Greek Cup. The following year, he returned to the European Champions' Cup Final Four with Panathinaikos, but as in his previous three attempts with Aris, he lost in the semi-finals and had to be content with being the top scorer in the 3rd-place match against FC Barcelona. His career ended controversially in 1994, when Kostas Politis (the then coach of Panathinaikos) chose not to include him in the starting line-up of a Greek Championship game against Ambelokipi. Galis left the court, never again to return to action. ^[8]

Retirement

Since his official retirement on September 29, 1995, and up until early 2006, he has been the owner of a summer basketball camp in Halkidiki, Greece. The basketball camp is listed at the Athens Stock Exchange. ^[9] As a token of appreciation for his contribution to Greek sport, Galis was chosen to be the first torch bearer in the final round of the Olympic Flame for the Athens 2004 Olympics. Galis entered the stadium at the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony and set off the procession of the flame to the altar.

In September of 2007, Nikos Galis was elected as a member of the first class of the FIBA Hall of Fame, which includes the best basketball players in the history of the game internationally. Galis was inducted as a player. Bill Russell of the famous Boston Celtics dynasty was another one of the 16 inaugural player inductees. Galis is also a member of the Greek Basketball Hall of Fame, inducted as a player. Galis is married to Eleni Panagiotou and he has one daughter, named Stella.

Player Profile

It has been noted that Galis was not only a legendary scorer, but was also a great play maker and passer. ^[2] The vast majority of his points scored came inside the paint area due to his penetrating ability. ^[10] Another enormous competitive advantage that Galis possessed was his incredible stamina, which was due to his exemplary physical condition. At the Eurobasket 1987, he was never once substituted out of any game after the second day of the competition. ^[10]

He averaged 33.0 points per game at the Eurobasket 1983, 33.7 points per game at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, 37.0 points per game at the Eurobasket 1987, 35.6 points per game at the Eurobasket 1989, and 32.4 points per game at the Eurobasket 1991. Galis was only a 1.86 m (6 ft 1.2 in) tall shooting guard. In every one of the games that Galis played in these tournaments, the entire defenses of every opposing team was focused on stopping his scoring outbursts.

Personal Achievements

^{[2][11][12][13]}

Career

• In 854 official career games played (including his college games), Galis scored a total of 25,995 points, for a scoring average of 30.4 points per game.
• In 753 career games played (excluding his college games), Galis scored a total of 24,721 points, for a career scoring average of 32.8 points per game.
• His career scoring average in the Greek League was 33.4 points per game.
• His career scoring average in the Greek Cup was 35.2 points per game.
• His career scoring average in European continental club competitions was 32.9 points per game.
• Along with Panagiotis Giannakis he led Aris BC to an 81 game winning streak in the 1980s.

Greek National Team

• In 168 FIBA games played with the Greek National Basketball Team, he averaged 30.5 points per game.
• Galis was the leading scorer in every major European and world international competition that he participated in from 1983 onwards, the Eurobasket 1983, the 1986 FIBA World Championship, the Eurobasket 1987, the Eurobasket 1989, and the Eurobasket 1991.

Single Game Achievements Pro Career

• His personal scoring record in one game was 62 points, achieved in a Greek League game in 1981 (Aris vs. Ionikos Nikaias). However, in the same game, Ionikos' superstar Panagiotis Giannakis, who would later go on to become Galis' teammate on Aris, scored 73 points.
• In 1981, he also had a 61 point game against Iraklis.
• Also in 1981, he accomplished his career scoring high in a European continental competition, as he scored 57 points against Pallacanestro Venezia during the 1981 Korac Cup.
• His high scoring game in the Greek Cup was 57 points against Panellinios in the 1987 Cup final.
• Also in 1987, he scored his career high in points in the old FIBA Champions' Cup (now called the Euroleague), as he scored 50 points in a game against Tracer Milano.
• He also holds 4 of the top 15 all-time individual scoring games in the Euroleague's modern record era (since 1991-1992).
• He scored 55 or more points in a game 10 times in his professional club career while playing with Aris Thessaloniki and Panathinaikos Athens.
• In 1990, in a FIBA Champions' Cup (now called the Euroleague) game versus Korihait Uusikaoupounk, he dished out 23 FIBA assists, which is still the all-time single game assist record.
• In 1993, while playing with Panathinaikos in a revenge game against his former team Aris, he had a game for the ages. Galis shot 13/13 from the field and recorded 19 FIBA assists in the game.

Single Game Achievements Greek National Team

• At the 1986 FIBA World Championship, he scored 53 points in a game against the Panamanian National Team.
• In the Eurobasket 1987 final, he scored 40 points against the Soviet National Team.
• In the Eurobasket 1989 semifinal, he scored 45 points against the Soviet National Team.

Team Titles and Personal Awards

Galis won numerous titles and awards during his career. The following are some of them: ^[2]

Aris and Panathinaikos

• 8 Greek Championships: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
• 7 Greek Cups: 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993
• In total, he won 15 championships in his pro club career as a player.
• 4-time Greek League regular season Most Valuable Player: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
• 5-time Greek League playoff Most Valuable Player: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
• 6-time Greek Cup Most Valuable Player: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993
• 13-time Greek League Scoring Champion: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
• 4-time Greek League Assist Leader: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
• Euroleague Assist Leader: 1994
• 2-time Euroleague Scoring Champion (since 1991-1992 era): 1992 (32.2 ppg), 1994 (23.8 ppg)
• Member of the Greek Basketball Hall of Fame
• Selected to the Euroleague's 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors as one of the Euroleague's 35 greatest all time players in 2008

Greek National Team

• 1986 FIBA World Championship Scoring Champion: 1986 (33.7 ppg)
• Eurobasket 1987 Gold Medal
• Eurobasket 1987 All-Tournament Team
• Eurobasket 1987 Most Valuable Player
• Eurobasket 1989 Silver Medal
• Eurobasket 1989 All-Tournament Team
• Eurobasket 1991 All-Tournament Team
• 4-time European Championship Scoring Champion: 1983 (33.0 ppg), 1987 (37.0 ppg), 1989 (35.6 ppg), 1991 (32.4 ppg)
• Mr. Europa Player of the Year 1987
• FIBA Hall of Fame 2007

References

• Arbel, Y. , "Iron Man Galis", November 08, 2006, FIBA Europe official website
• Official website of Galis's basketball camp
• Eurobasket.com, website about basketball
• BASKET ARIS - Unofficial fan site dedicated to ARIS B.C.
• Hellenic Basketball Federation official website
• FIBA Europe official website
• Rabotas, G. (2003). Nikos Galis, A Legend like I have known him. Athens: Psychogios. ISBN 960 87979 0 5. 

Notes

Greece squad - 1986 FIBA World Championship - 10th place 4 Galis | 5 Stavropoulos | 6 Giannakis | 7 Kambouris | 8 Pedoulakis | 9 Karatzas | 10 Romanidis | 11 Filippou | 12 Andritsos | 13 Dimakopoulos | 14 Ch.Christodoulou | 15 F.Christodoulou | Coach: Politis

Greece squad - 1987 Eurobasket - Gold medal 4 Galis | 5 Stavropoulos | 6 Giannakis | 7 Kambouris | 8 Fasoulas | 9 Karatzas | 10 Romanidis | 11 Filippou | 12 Andritsos | 13 Linardos | 14 Ioannou | 15 F.Christodoulou | Coach: Politis