Nikos Galis

Basketball Player

Nikos Galis was born in Union City, New Jersey, United States on July 23rd, 1957 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 66, Nikos Galis biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Date of Birth
July 23, 1957
Nationality
United States, Greece
Place of Birth
Union City, New Jersey, United States
Age
66 years old
Zodiac Sign
Leo
Profession
Basketball Player, Businessperson, Entrepreneur
Nikos Galis Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 66 years old, Nikos Galis has this physical status:

Height
183cm
Weight
90kg
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Nikos Galis Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Not Available
Nikos Galis Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
Not Available
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Nikos Galis Life

Galis played at the point guard position throughout his college basketball career at Seton Hall University. However, shooting guard was his primary role throughout his pro career. He spent the bulk of his football career with Aris Thessaloniki before heading to Panathinaikos Athens later this year. When considering both the FIBA and EuroLeague Basketball eras (1958–present), he is one of the best-time players in points per game scoring average (2005–present). He was also the league's top scorer of the season numerous times. He appeared in the EuroLeague Final Four on four occasions, including those with Aris (1988, 1989, 1990), and Panathinaikos (1994). Galis' eight Greek league titles have been won, as well as the Greek Championships' all-time scoring average and career scoring average, when considering all league formats prior to the league becoming completely competitive in the 1992–93 season.

Galis was instrumental in the Greek national basketball team's gold medal in 1987, and he received the tournament's MVP award in the process. Galis received both the Mr. Europa and the Euroscar player of the year awards after his astonishing success in winning the 1987 EuroBasket title. He helped Greece win a silver medal at the 1989 EuroBasket, where he was also selected to the All-EuroBasket team. He was selected to the All-EuroBasket Team four times (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991). He set the EuroBasket's record for the highest career scoring average (31.2 points per game), and 1991 was also the top scorer of four EuroBasket tournaments. Galis also holds two major titles from the FIBA World Championship/Cup tournament. He holds the highest career scoring average (33.5 points per game) and the most total points ever scored in a single tournament, which he set at the 1986 FIBA World Championships.

Galis, who was voted Greek Male Athlete of the Year three times (1986, 1987, 1989), is revered in Greece, where he is regarded by many as one of the country's best national athletes ever. His time with Aris Thessaloniki and the Greek national team helped Greece basketball from obscurity to national prominence. Galis was the sports icon who compelled thousands of Greeks to take up basketball.

Early life and high school

Galis was born in Union City, New Jersey. Galis' father, George Georgalis, who had also been a boxer in his youth, took up boxing in his early years. He was eventually told by his mother, Stella Georgalis, who was terrified every time that her son would return home from boxing training with a new facial injury. As a result, Galis began playing basketball rather than boxing. He attended Union Hill High School in Union City, where he competed high school basketball and American football.

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Nikos Galis Career

College career

Galis attended Seton Hall University, where he competed in college basketball as a member of the Seton Hall Pirates. Galis' scoring average soared to 27.5 points per game in his senior (1978–79) season, putting him third in the nation, after Idaho State's Lawrence Butler (30.1 points per game) and Indiana State's Larry Bird (28.6 points per game), including a 48-point outburst against the University of Santa Clara.

Galis also received the Haggerty Award (the best player award in the New York City metro area) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year award for his senior year of college. He appeared in the Pizza Hut All-American game together with Bird and Vinnie Johnson the previous year. Galis played in 107 games and gained 1,651 points in his four-year college career, a career scoring average of 15.4 points per game.

Bill Raftery, Galis' head coach, will later claim that Galis was the best player he ever coached. Galis, an Italian-American professional basketball player, was a good friend and roommate at Seton Hall. Dan Callandrillo was a good friend and roommate of Italian-American professional basketball player Dan Callandrillo. Galis was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.

Professional career

Galis signed agent Bill Manon, who also worked with Diana Ross, after finishing his collegiate career in 1979. Galis did not work out with any NBA team, and Manon did not have to worry about it. Galis was eventually selected by the Boston Celtics in the fourth round of the 1979 NBA Draft, 68th overall. Galis' ankle injury during the 1979-80 season didn't seem to be affecting him, and his absence would keep him out for the foreseeable future.

Galis then decided to pursue a career in Greece's top-tier Basket League. Later this season, while still playing in Greece, he will be able to play for the Celtics and the New Jersey Nets. However, he turned down because FIBA did not have professional status at the time, and in 1989, did not allow NBA players to compete at the national team level. Since being part of the Greek national basketball team meant so much to him, he stayed in Greece. Red Auerbach, the Celtics' then-president, made the single biggest mistake in his career — not keeping Galis.

Galis moved across the Atlantic and signed with Aris Thessaloniki of Greece in 1979 after suffering an ankle injury in the Boston Celtics' preseason training camp, which barred him from receiving a contract with the Celtics. Both Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus' main Greek clubs had shown some curiosity in signing him, but Aris Thessaloniki's interest was the most persuasive to Galis. His transfer to Greece would help Greek club basketball reach a level of fame that had never been imagined.

Galis was the indisputable leader of Aris Thessaloniki, averaging more than 30 points per game in virtually every season and competition in which he competed. Aris Thessaloniki was a member of Panagiotis Giannakis and Slobodan Suboti, who was known in Greece as Lefteris Soumpotits. Galis gained eight Greek League titles in the years 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1990, and 1991, with Aris Thessaloniki. He won seven out of his eight Greek League championships in consecutive years, with three of them winning in undefeated seasons. He also won six Greek Cup titles with Aris Thessaloniki in 1985, 1989, 1990, 1990, and 1992. In consecutive years, four of his six Greek Cup titles were won in a row.

Galis led Aris Thessaloniki to three straight appearances in the competition's Final Four, a top-level European team competition (EuroLeague). The 1988 Ghent Final Four, 1989 Munich Final Four, and the 1990 Zaragoza Final Four were among Galis' teams. All three of Galis' Cup Final Four appearances ended in defeats in the semifinals, ending in one major disappointment in an otherwise glittering club career with Aris Thessaloniki. He was then denied the opportunity to shine all the way on Europe's biggest club stage, at the FIBA European Champions' Cup Finals, which thus left him with a chance to shine all the way. (EuroLeague Finals) However, the team's results and general quality of play had won over most basketball fans in Greece. In fact, cinemas and theaters in Greece would often lower their ticket admission prices on Thursday evenings, when Aris Thessaloniki was playing games, as large sections of the population gathered to watch them on television.

Galis was selected as a member of The Balkans Selection All-Star Team that competed against The European Selection All-Star Team in 1991 - Galis was born in June 1991. The 1991 FIBA Jubilee Festival was held in order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of basketball's inception in 1891 by Canadian James Naismith. Multiple legends of European basketball played at the FIBA All-Star Game in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. The All-Star Selection of the Balkans won the game by a score of 103–102. Galis was the game's best scorer, scoring 20 points.

Galis rolled back the clock on December 19, 1991, in one of his last FIBA EuroLeague games with Aris Thessaloniki's last FIBA EuroLeague games. In a 111-108 loss to the Italian League club Olimpia Milano, he scored 46 points, on 13/20 field goals, 5/6 field goals, and 15/18 free throws in a 111-108 loss. However, Aris Thessaloniki's 1991-92 FIBA EuroLeague season was a disappointment, as the club ended group stage play with a record of 3–11.

Galis scored 48 points on 17/18 field goals, 2/3 3-point field goals, and 12/13 free throws in the same 1991–92 season. Aris Thessaloniki, on the other hand, was unable to qualify for the 2012 Greek League Finals. It was the first time the team had not won the Greek League championship since 1984.

Galis' last campaign with Aris Thessaloniki came after the 1991–92 season came to an end. At that time, the club was under new ownership and was attempting to pay down the club's debts. Galis' departure, as well as his team's declining period, were the primary reasons for his departure. Galis, who adored the city of Thessaloniki and Aris' fans, had initially opposed staying in the club and playing for the team because he felt he still had a lot to offer the team. However, Galis was eventually forced to leave the club due to the club's policies. Galis earned 18 points (6/9, 6/9, 0/2) in his last game for the club as Aris defeated AEK 74–62 to win their second Greek Cup title in 1992.

Galis travelled to Athens, 1992, to compete with Panathinaikos. He led the "Greens" to rebirth after the club had suffered through a long drought period, during which the historical team had not won any awards. The club's previous season (1991–92) had been particularly disappointing, with the team finishing eighth place in the Greek league in eighth place. Galis, the team's captain, inspired the young players of Panathinaikos Athens, including Fragiskos Alvertis and Nikos Oikonomou, as he brought hope to the team's supporters. So much so, that Glyfa Indoor Hall, the club's then home stadium, was always overcrowded. Panathinaikos Athens finished in second position in the Greek league in 1992-1993, winning the Greek Cup for the second time by Galis.

Galis was the top scorer in the FIBA European League (EuroLeague) in 1993-1994, scoring an average of 23.8 points per game in 21 games played. With an average of 4.7 assists per game, he led the league in assists. Galis led Panathinaikos Athens into a new club age in Panathinaikos Athens' deciding Game 3 victory of the FIBA European League's quarterfinals over the French League's newly reigning league champions, Limoges. Galis coached Panathinaikos Athens' qualification to the 1994 Tel Aviv FIBA European League Final Four by scoring 30 points in the deciding playoff game on 12–16 (75%) field goal shooting in the game. The "Greens" eventually finished in third place in the FIBA European League this season, after losing in the semifinals to Olympiacos Piraeus by a score of 77–72.

Nonetheless, it was also the highest level that the club had reached in the league since the 1971–72 season. Galis scored 30 points in Panathinaikos Athens' victory in the Final Four's third place game against the Spanish League club Barcelona, with 30 points as he led all scorers. Galis was selected to the All-Final Four Team.

Galis went scoreless in a game against Panathinaikos in May 1994, scoring only in one of his last games for the first time in his professional career in Greece, ending game 2 (where Panathinaikos lost 93–71) with 0/4 two-point shots from 29 minutes' play). Galis rallied to score 18 and 22 points in games 3 and 4, both of which Panathinaikos claimed to claim 3rd place and a spot in the FIBA European League for the following season.

Galis' third season with Panthinaikos Athens (1994–95) united Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, and Paspalj to make a good bid to win the European League Championships. Galis was the player who led Panathinaikos Athens to the top 16 group stage of the tournament when he saved the team from elimination from the competition against Ukrainian Super League club Budivelnyk Kyiv with a game-high of 23 points in the club's crucial second leg game victory. Galis was also the team's leader during their Greek Cup victory over Olympiacos Piraeus at the Sporting Sports Arena.

Galis played in his last game in professional basketball as a member of Panathinaikos Athens on October 12, 1994. In Week 1 of the Greek League's 1994-95 season, it was against Dafni Athens. Galis scored 8 points (2/2, 3/3), in 35 minutes of playing time. Panathinaikos Athens won the game by a score of 82–60.

Galis' playing career came to an end on October 18, 1994, just days before Panathinaikos Athens' Week 2 game of the Greek League's 1994–95 season. For the Greek League game against Ampeloki Athens, Kostas Politis, who was the head coach of Panathinaikos Athens at the time, decided not to include Galis in the team's starting lineup. Galis left the arena, but never returned to playing action again after being protested over the head coach's decision. On September 29, 1995, he officially announced his resignation in the media.

Galis earned a total of 12,864 points in 384 Greek Basket League games played, giving him a career scoring average of 33.5 points per game. He scored a total of 1,935 points in 55 of his career Greek Cup games, averaging of 35.2 points per game. In the two Greek Super Cup games in which he competed, he averaged 42.5 points per game. In 23 FIBA Kora Cup games, he scored a total of 864 points for a career scoring average of 37.6 points per game. He scored a total of 4,047 points in 125 games played for a career scoring average of 32.4 points per game. Galis averaged 19,795 points in 589 games played, representing a pro-club career scoring average of 33.6 points per game.

National team career

Galis appeared with the Greece national basketball team for the first time at the 1980 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament. At the tournament, he averaged 20.5 points per game. In a match against Switzerland, he set a new record of 30 points in a tournament single-game scoring record. However, Greece failed to qualify for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. Galis averaged 19.9 points per game at the 1981 EuroBasket. Greece finished in 9th place in the tournament. Galis averaged 33.6 points per game, and he was the tournament's top scorer at the 1983 EuroBasket. Greece finished in 11th place in the tournament.

Galis played against the North Carolina Tar Heels at The Demetria Tournament '83 on November 20, 1983. The game was held at the Alexandre Melathron Arena in Alexandre. Galis, Greece's shooting guard, was guarded by North Carolina's shooting guard, Michael Jordan, during the game. Throughout the game, Galis scored 24 points.

Galis averaged 31.6 points per game at the 1984 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and he was the tournament's top scorer. He had a single-game scoring record of 45 points, which came in a game against Great Britain. However, Greece failed to qualify for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

Galis won the bronze medal at the 1984 Balkan Championships with Greece. Galis led the tournament in scoring at the 1986 FIBA World Championships, averaging 33.7 points per game. In a game against Panama, he had a 53-point outburst. Greece finished in 10th place in the tournament. Galis won the gold medal at the 1986 Balkan Championships in Greece, beating Greece.

Galis was the captain of Greece's national team to win the 1987 Eurobasket gold medal. Galis led the tournament in scoring with his 37.0 points per game. As he led Greece to a 103–101 victory over a 103–101 victory, he scored 40 points in the tournament's finals against the Soviet Union national team and its legendary player, nas Marulionis. He was named MVP of the tournament.

Galis averaged 28.4 points per game at the 1988 European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and he was the tournament's top scorer. In a game against Germany, he had his highest single-game scoring record, 35 points. However, Greece failed to qualify for the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games.

Galis also coached Greece to the silver medal at the 1989 EuroBasket, which he dominated in scoring with an average of 35.6 points per game. Galis is most remembered from this tournament, for a heroic effort against the Soviet team led by Marjan Martel and its other key player, Arvydas Sabonis, in their semifinals match. In a dramatic last-gasp 81-80 victory, Galis scored 45 out of his team's 81 total points. The Greek team then settled for a second-place finish after losing to the powerful Yugoslav national team in the tournament's finals.

Galis also appeared in Greece at the 1991 FIBA Centennial Jubilee, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of basketball's inception. The Jubilee tournament took place at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece, in Athens, Greece. Galis averaged 21.0 points per game in three games played during the tournament.

Galis averaged 32.4 points per game at the 1991 EuroBasket, and he also led the tournament in scoring. Galis was the top scorer of the EuroBasket four times in total. He was also a four-time All-EuroBasket Team member.

Galis participated in 168 FIBA-recognized games with the Greece national team, in which he scored a total of 5,129 points per game for a career scoring average of 30.5 points per game. Galis is currently in second place on the list of the top scoring leaders in Greece's senior national team history. Panagiotis Giannakis is currently in first place on the list.

Post-playing career and personal life

Galis is married to Eleni Panagiotou, and he has one child, named Stella. Galis' official retirement from playing professional basketball basketball began on September 29, 1995, and he continued to do so until early 2006. The basketball camp was listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. Galis was chosen to be the first torch bearer of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics as a token of his contribution to Greek sport. At the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony, Galis entered the stadium and started the procession of the fire to the altar.

Galis was inducted in September 2007 as a member of the first class of the FIBA Hall of Fame, which features the best basketball players in the history of the game in the world. Galis was inducted as a player. Bill Russell, the illustrious Boston Celtics dynasty's founder, was another of the 16 inaugural inductees. Galis was also inducted into the European Basketball Hall of Fame on the Eurobasket.com website, where he was also inducted as a player.

Aris Thessaloniki's former club team was renamed to "Nick Galis Hall" in May 2013. Galis' life and work were also commemorated, as well as the number 6 Aris jersey retired. Many of his former colleagues and opponents, from the 1980s to 1990s, attended the function. The majority of the participants in the Greek men's national basketball team's 1987 EuroBasket gold medalist team, as well as several other international basketball players who competed against Galis over the years, such as Dino Raja, Jordi Villacampa, and Doron Jamchi, among others, were among those who attended.

Galis was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 1, 2017 as part of the 2017 Hall of Fame class. Galis was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2017. He was one of the world's very few male basketball players to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame without ever having played in the NBA. The "Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall," in honor of Greece's national team who earned the gold medal at the 1987 EuroBasket, the court of Greece's biggest basketball arena, the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall, was named "Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall" on June 14, 2016.

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