By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After Vassilis Spanoulis, another Greek guard has retired. Nikos Zisis announced his decision via social media with a heartfelt farweel message full of gratitude for his journey and the people he encountered.
“It is time to announce my retirement. It is a completely conscious decision, because I know I have given everything. I loved basketball since I was a child but I never imagined I would make such a big, exciting and unforgettable trip. I am proud of what I did, but also of what I did not achieve because I always gave 100% of my soul, mind and body.
Basketball is for me much more than a game. I loved not only playing but also discussing, analyzing, always thinking about how my team and I would get better. I want to say a big thank you to all my teammates, my coaches, all the people of the teams I played for, to my opponents! I will never forget the fans and the people for their love and support in Greece and abroad, in all the stations of my career. I feel blessed for the friendships and life relationships I have created. For the many journeys, joys, sorrows, images and emotions that I will carry inside me forever!
It was written and I am very happy for that, that the circle closes exactly as it had opened. In AEK, the team where I became a man and I lived a lot. The national team flows in my blood and was, is and will be the team of my heart! The jersey with the coat of arms marked me, defined me, stigmatized me and the pride I feel for all these summers I spent fighting for it can not be described in words! A cycle that lasted as long as life ends here! But life cannot wait. The fight continues. Without the ball in my hands, but with the ball always in my mind and heart,” Zisis wrote via Instagram.
The 37-year-old began his pro career at the start of the millennia (2000) in AEK, where he spent the first five years and also came back full circle with a one-season stint for the past year.
In between, Zisis played for Benetton, CSKA, Siena, Bilbao, UNICS, Fenerbahce, Brose Bamberg, and Joventut. He won the 2008 EuroLeague with CSKA along with numerous domestic titles wherever he went – Greek League, Greek Cup (2), Italian League (4), Italian Cup (4), Italian Supercup (4), VTB League, German League (2), German Cup (2), and German Supercup.
Not to mention all the individual honors including MVP awards along the way to those titles. Zisis’s number six jersey has been retired by Brose Bamberg. He also won gold and bronze with the Greek national team in the 2005 and 2009 EuroBasket respectively, as well as silver in the 2006 World Cup.