Lazaros Papadopoulos (Greek: Λάζαρος Παπαδόπουλος; born 3 June 1980) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He was listed at 7 ft (2.13 m) 265 lbs (120 kg), and he played the center position.[1] During his playing career, he was best known for his signature skyhook move.

Lazaros Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos in 2011
Personal information
Born (1980-06-03) 3 June 1980 (age 44)
Krasnodar, USSR
NationalityGreek / Russian
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2002: undrafted
Playing career1996–2014
PositionCenter
Number6, 12, 14, 8
Career history
1996–2001Iraklis
2001–2003Panathinaikos
2003–2004Iraklis
2004–2007Dynamo Moscow
2007–2008Real Madrid
2008–2009Fortitudo Bologna
2009–2011PAOK
2011Khimki
2011–2012Olympiacos
2012–2013PAOK
2014Canarias
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
FIBA World Cup 0 1 0
FIBA Stanković World Cup 1 0 0
FIBA EuroBasket 1 0 0
FIBA Under-18 EuroBasket 0 0 1
Total 2 1 1
Men's Basketball
Representing  Greece
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2006 Japan
FIBA Stanković World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2006 China
FIBA EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place 2005 Serbia & Montenegro
FIBA Under-18 EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Bulgaria Under-18

Papadopoulos played with several teams in Europe throughout his professional club career, and he most notably won the EuroLeague twice, in 2002 with Panathinaikos Athens and in 2012 with Olympiacos Piraeus. He was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2007. He represented the senior Greece national team and won the gold medal at the 2005 FIBA EuroBasket and the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

Early years and youth career

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As a youth, Papadopoulos took up the sports of judo and basketball. He played basketball in the youth system of the Greek club Iraklis Thessaloniki. With Iraklis' junior club, along with his teammate Charis Markopoulos, Papadopoulos won the Greek Under-18 Championship in 1998.

Professional career

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Papadopoulos began his professional career playing with the Greek club Iraklis, in the 1996–97 season. After five years with Iraklis, he signed to play with the Greek League powerhouse Panathinaikos in 2001, and he stayed there until 2003. He then returned to Iraklis the following season, and stayed there for only one year, before next signing with the Russian club Dynamo Moscow, in the year 2004. In 2007, he joined the Spanish ACB League club Real Madrid. In 2008, he joined Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian League.[2]

He won the EuroLeague championship during the EuroLeague 2001–02 season, while he was with Panathinaikos, and also the EuroCup championship, while he was with Dynamo Moscow, in the year 2006. In 2007, his performance with Dynamo Moscow during the EuroLeague 2006–07 season, earned him a selection to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.[3] He joined the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki for the 2009–10 season, and donated his salary to charity.[4]

In February 2011, he joined the Russian club Khimky Moscow Region.[5] In August 2011, he signed a one-year deal with Olympiacos.[6] With Olympiacos, he won the EuroLeague championship in 2012. On 5 September 2012, he returned after few seasons to his former club PAOK.[7] On 6 February 2014, Papadopoulos wnt back to Spain, after signing with 1939 Canarias.[8] After only one game played, he parted ways with them.[9]

National team career

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Greek junior national team

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As a member in the junior Greece national team, Papadopoulos won the bronze medal at the 1998 FIBA Under-18 EuroBasket. He also competed with the Greek junior team at the 1999 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

Greek senior national team

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With the senior Greece national team, Papadopoulos won the gold medal at the 2005 FIBA EuroBasket. With Greece, he also won the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Papadopulos was also a member of the Greek teams that competed at the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket and the 2007 FIBA EuroBasket. He was also a part of Greece's 2004 Summer Olympic Games team. He played in a total of 103 games for Greece at the senior men's level, averaging 8.2 points per game.[10] While playing with Greek the national team, Papadopoulos also won the Acropolis Tournament five times: in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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Denotes seasons in which Papadopoulos won the EuroLeague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2001–02 Panathinaikos 19 6 15.4 .638 .774 4.1 .9 .4 .5 6.6 8.3
2002–03 19 5 11.8 .636 .677 2.7 .4 .4 .2 4.1 5.2
2006–07 Dynamo Moscow 17 16 29.5 .531 .667 7.2 1.8 1.3 .9 14.8 20.3
2007–08 Real Madrid 18 13 21.3 .484 .571 3.2 1.5 .8 .3 6.9 7.8
2008–09 4 1 13.8 .412 .000 .500 2.3 .3 4.0 3.3
2011–12 Olympiacos 13 8 13.8 .542 .176 2.8 2.0 .2 .4 4.2 5.0
Career 90 49 18.2 .547 .000 .621 3.9 1.2 .6 .4 7.2 9.1

Personal life

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Papadopoulos was born in Krasnodar, then-USSR, on 3 June 1980, as Lazar Popandopulo (Russian: Лазарь Попандопуло) to a Greek father and a Russian mother.[11] In 1990, he came to Thessaloniki, Greece with his parents, Theodore and Marina, and younger sister Agapi.

He was married in August 2002, and he has two daughters, Danaie and Nefeli.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Lazarospapadopoulos.gr Height: 213 cm Weight: 120 kg.
  2. ^ Real Madrid loans Papadopoulos to Fortitudo Bologna.
  3. ^ "All-Euroleague team, MVP announced". Euroleague. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Paok announced Lazaros Papadopoulos". thehoop.com. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. ^ Lazaros Papadopoulos is a new BC Khimki player.
  6. ^ Olympiacos lands Papadopoulos.
  7. ^ "Lazaros Papadopoulos is officially back in PAOK". Sportando. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  8. ^ El Iberostar Tenerife ficha al pívot griego Lazaros Papadopoulos (in Spanish)
  9. ^ "CB Canarias, Lazaros Papadopoulos part ways". Sportando.net. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  10. ^ Σελίδα Αθλητή: Λάζαρος Παπαδόπουλος (in Greek). Hellenic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  11. ^ Sports.ru Лазарос ПАПАДОПУЛОС: Не уверен, что в России я заиграл бы так же (in Russian).
  12. ^ "Lazaros Papadopoulos". invictussportsgroup.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
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