1. Theodoros Papaloukas, commonly known as Theo Papaloukas or Thodoris Papaloukas, is a retired Greek professional basketball player.
22 Facts About Theodoros Papaloukas
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In 2006, Theodoros Papaloukas led CSKA to their first EuroLeague title in thirty-five years, and thus earning an All-EuroLeague First Team selection and the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award in the process.
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Theodoros Papaloukas helped lead the Greece men's national basketball team to a title, EuroBasket 2005, and a silver medal in 2006 FIBA World Championship.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was elected to the All-Tournament Team in both competitions.
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Theodoros Papaloukas took part in two Olympic tournaments, in 2004 and 2008, with Greece finishing in their personal all-time best fifth position on both occasions.
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Theodoros Papaloukas then played for another small, but at the time rising club, called Ampelokipoi, with whom he began his pro career in 1995.
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Theodoros Papaloukas then transferred to Dafni of the Greek 2nd Division in 1997, and transferred again two years later to Panionios, a traditional basketball club of the top-tier level Greek Basket League.
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In 2001, Theodoros Papaloukas finally moved to Olympiacos, a long-time Greek League power, as well as one of the perennial contenders in the EuroLeague.
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Theodoros Papaloukas scored 23 points and dished out 8 assists, but a number of sportswriters intimated that he did not receive adequate support from his CSKA teammates, and thus his team lost the final.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was then pursued in free agency by the NBA clubs the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Miami Heat to fill their point guard spot.
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In December 2012, Theodoros Papaloukas was invited to a tryout with CSKA Moscow.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was signed by the team, and then officially returned to the court in a EuroLeague game against Anadolu Efes, on 28 December 2012.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was part of the core element of the Greece men's national basketball team.
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Theodoros Papaloukas played at the following EuroBaskets: EuroBasket 2001 in Turkey, EuroBasket 2003 in Sweden, EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia and Montenegro, and EuroBasket 2007 in Spain.
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Theodoros Papaloukas, who was already well-established in European basketball as a result of appearances in three consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours with CSKA Moscow, achieved an acclaimed position among the elite of European basketball at the EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia and Montenegro.
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Theodoros Papaloukas climbed to the second position of global basketball as he, along with his fellow Greek team players, drove Greece to the final of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, losing there in the final to the Spanish National Basketball Team.
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Theodoros Papaloukas earned a place on the All-Tournament Team, which included the tournament MVP Pau Gasol of Spain, Gasol's teammate Jorge Garbajosa, Carmelo Anthony of Team USA, and Manu Ginobili of Argentina.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was a pass-first play maker with a distinctive style of play.
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Theodoros Papaloukas's play making ability and pass first point guard skills at his height, combined with his versatility to play multiple positions on the basketball court on both ends of the floor made him an extraordinary player.
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Theodoros Papaloukas was selected to the EuroLeague's 50th anniversary 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors list in 2008.
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Theodoros Papaloukas is widely known by the nicknames of Teo and Thodoris.
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Theodoros Papaloukas became a member of the EuroLeague's official technical rules committee.