Nikos Galis

From Hoopedia

Nick Galis (born July 23, 1957 in New Jersey), known in Greece and throughout Europe as Nikos Galis (Greek: Νίκος Γκάλης), is a retired Greek basketball player and a charter member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. He is regarded as one of Europe's all-time greats in the sport.

1 Early Years
2 Greece
3 Notable achievements
4 Titles
5 External Links

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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. His mother persuaded him to give up boxing, since she shook with fright whenever her son returned with a new facial injury. His interest in basketball grew.

He attended Seton Hall University and played basketball. In his fourth and final year, Galis, by now a shooting guard, averaged 27.5 ppg. He ranked third in the nation in scoring, behind Lawrence Butler and the great Larry Bird. He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft, 68th overall. Circumstances did not favor the young player, however. He sustained an injury during the Celtics preseason camp, so the Celtics did not offer him a contract. At this point Galis decided to pursue a professional career in Greece, a decision that would change the European basketball map forever.

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Greece

Galis signed with Aris of Thessaloniki in the Hellenic Basketball Association, Greece's professional league. Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiakos had showed some interest in the newcomer, but it was Aris pursued him most ardently.

His return to the land of his ancestors helped Greek basketball reach new heights, leading the national team to the European Championship (|Eurobasket championship) in 1987. Galis led the team with 37.0 ppg in the tournament. He was named Eurobasket MVP. He scored 40 points in the final against the Soviet Union, which Greece won, 103-101. In 1989 Greece took second. Galis averaged 35.6 points. He participated in one FIBA World Championship, in 1986. He again led all players in scoring with 33.0 ppg, and had a 53-point outburst against Panama. In addition to his performance in the 1987 final against the Soviet Union, Galis is remembered for a stunning effort also against the Soviet Union in the 1989 Eurobasket semi-finals, when he scored 45 out of his team's 81 points in a dramatic, last-gasp 81-80 victory.

Averaging more than 30 points per game every season, Galis was the indisputable leader of Aris. Playing alongside other great players such as Panagiotis Giannakis and Slobodan Subotic, Galis won seven Greek Championships (six of them consecutively and undefeated in three seasons), five Greek Cups, and led Aris to three consecutive appearances at the European Champions Cup Final Four (1988-1990). All three appearances ended in defeat in the semi-finals, thus depriving him of the opportunity to shine on Europe's biggest club stage. The team's performances and general standard of play won the heart of every Greek basketball fan, as well as creating thousands more Aris supporters. Indeed, cinemas and theaters would often reduce their admission prices on Thursday evenings when Aris were playing and the entire country settled down to watch them on television.

After a disappointing season in 1992, Galis was forced to leave Aris. Two factors leading to his departure were the appointment of a new club president and the a general decline in the quality of play. Galis, who adored Thessaloniki, wished to continue to play for the team. Giorgos Rampotas, his personal trainer and friend, writes in Galis's Biography that Thessaloniki was what mattered most to Galis. Consequently, after he was forced to leave he even contemplated playing for PAOK, Aris's arch-rival, but could not bring himself to do so.

Galis moved to Athens, signing with Panathinaikos. He managed to win one Greek Cup, in 1993. The following year, he returned to the European Final Four with Panathinaikos but, as in his previous trips with Aris, he lost in the semi-finals. His career ended controversially in 1994 when Kostas Politis (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.

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Notable achievements

In 854 official club games played, Galis scored a total of 25,995 points, an impressive 30.4 points per game.
In 168 games with the Greek national team, he averaged 30.5 points.
Galis was the leading scorer in every major European or World national event he participated from 1983 until his retirement. These tournaments include the 1986 World Championship and Eurobaskets 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991.
His personal scoring record in one game is 62 points (1981, Aris vs. Ionikos). In the same game, however, his future teammate Panagiotis Giannakis scored 73 points.
His career high in a European competition was 57 points against Venice during the 1981 Korac Cup.

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