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Vangelis Mantzaris

Vangelis Mantzaris
Mantzaris during EuroBasket 2017
Mykonos
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueGreek A2 Elite League
Personal information
Born (1990-04-16) April 16, 1990 (age 34)
Peristeri, Athens, Greece
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2012: undrafted
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007–2011Peristeri
2011–2019Olympiacos
2019–2020UNICS Kazan
2020Promitheas Patras
2020–2021Peristeri
2021Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski
2021Hapoel Eilat
2021–2022PAOK Thessaloniki
2022–2023Ionikos Nikaias
2023Panteras de Miranda
2023–2024Pallacanestro Roseto
2024–presentMykonos
Career highlights and awards

Evangelos "Vangelis" Mantzaris (Greek: Ευάγγελος "Βαγγέλης" Μάντζαρης; born April 16, 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player for Mykonos of the Greek A2 Elite League. He is a 1.96 m (6'5") tall point guard and shooting guard. He also represents the senior National Basketball Team of Greece internationally.

Professional career

Mantzaris during an Olympiacos game in the EuroLeague in 2013

Peristeri

Mantzaris began his professional career in the Greek 2nd Division with Peristeri, the team of his hometown. With Peristeri, he won the Greek 2nd Division championship in 2009.

Olympiacos

On September 5, 2011, Mantzaris signed a four-year deal with the top-tier level Greek Basket League and EuroLeague club Olympiacos Piraeus.[1] He won both the EuroLeague and Greek League championships in 2012, being a useful tool for the team of coach Dušan Ivković, especially due to his defensive ability.

In January 2013, Mantzaris suffered a season-ending knee injury, after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a Greek Basket League derby against PAOK Thessaloniki at PAOK Sports Arena.[2] Despite suffering the knee injury, he remained close to his teammates both in and out of the locker room in order to support them, as they won the EuroLeague 2012–13 season championship. Mantzaris returned to action seven months later and in early October of the same year won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup against Pinheiros at Ginásio José Corrêa, Brazil. In the two finals, he averaged 9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists, helping Olympiacos to celebrate the title. On 29 July 2014, Mantzaris extended his contract with Olympiacos through 2017.[3]

Mantzaris won the Greek League 2014–15 season and Greek League 2015–16 season national domestic championships with Olympiacos, under the instructions of former Houston Rockets assistant coach, Ioannis Sfairopoulos, being the starting point guard of his team in both seasons. He also competed in the 2015 EuroLeague Finals versus Real Madrid, in Madrid, and in the 2017 EuroLeague Finals against Fenerbahçe, in Istanbul, however without earning the trophy.

On June 16, 2017, Mantzaris signed a three-year contract extension with Olympiacos.[4]

UNICS Kazan

On July 20, 2019, Mantzaris was released from Olympiacos, after eight seasons, and signed with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League and the EuroCup, playing under fellow Greek coach Dimitrios Priftis. He left in December, returning to Greece.

Promitheas Patras

On December 30, 2019, Mantzaris returned to Greece and signed with EuroCup side Promitheas Patras. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. On October 8, 2020, Mantzaris re-signed with the team.[5]

Return to Peristeri

On December 17, 2020, Mantzaris officially returned to Peristeri after nine years.

Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski

On August 6, 2021, he has signed with Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the Polish Basketball League.[6] In four games he averaged five points, five assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.[7]

Hapoel Eilat

On October 4, 2021, Mantzaris signed with Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[7]

PAOK

On November 11, 2021, Mantzaris signed with PAOK of the Greek Basket League.[8]

After the season ended, Mantzaris stated that the cooperation with coach Aris Lykogiannis was not good, something that confirmed the poor communication between them.[9]

Ionikos Nikaias

On September 22, 2022, Mantzaris moved to Ionikos Nikaias.

Venezuela

On March 24, 2023, Mantzaris signed with Venezuelan club Panteras de Miranda for the rest of the season.

Pallacanestro Roseto

On September 4, 2023, Mantzaris signed with Pallacanestro Roseto in italian 3rd division where is currently playing.

National team career

Greek junior national team

As a member of the junior national basketball teams of Greece, Mantzaris won the gold medal at the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and the silver medal at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Mantzaris also won the gold medal at the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, and the silver medal at the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, with Greece's junior national teams.

Greek senior national team

Mantzaris became a member of the senior men's Greek national basketball team in 2011. He was a member of Greece's senior national teams that played at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and the EuroBasket 2015. He also played at the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and at the EuroBasket 2017.

He also represented Greece at the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification.

Career statistics

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

Denotes season in which Mantzaris won the EuroLeague
* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2011–12 Olympiacos 18 14 14.1 .212 .364 .385 2.3 .9 .6 1.9 2.8
2012–13 15 15 20.9 .419 .438 .750 2.5 2.3 .9 .1 3.5 4.9
2013–14 29 25 23.6 .387 .364 .607 3.4 3.2 .7 4.5 6.9
2014–15 29 29 22.4 .433 .365 .609 2.2 2.5 .6 .0 5.1 5.6
2015–16 24 24 22.9 .405 .447 .719 2.8 2.0 .7 .0 6.5 6.5
2016–17 37* 37* 23.7 .348 .364 .696 2.8 2.4 .7 5.8 4.9
2017–18 31 12 19.6 .322 .275 .829 2.1 2.0 .7 .0 4.4 4.1
2018–19 27 3 11.9 .271 .211 .500 1.6 1.2 .3 .0 1.4 1.6
Career 183 156 21.5 .376 .365 .683 2.6 2.3 .7 .0 4.8 5.2

Awards and accomplishments

Pro career

Peristeri

Olympiacos

Greek junior national team

Individual

Personal life

Mantzaris is a resident of Peristeri, which is a west suburb of Athens, and the biggest municipality of the Attica Region. His brother, Antonis Mantzaris, is also a professional basketball player. They were teammates from 2007, until the summer of 2011, with Peristeri Basketball Club. In 2009, they won the Greek 2nd Division championship with the club. He owns a café in the area, as well.

References