Ioannis Dimakopoulos (basketball)

This article is about the Greek basketball player. For the Greek army officer, see Ioannis Dimakopoulos.
Ioannis Dimakopoulos
Ιωάννης Δημακόπουλος
Dimakopoulos with CB Almansa in 2022
Trikala
PositionCenter
LeagueElite League
Personal information
Born (1994-11-07) 7 November 1994 (age 30)
Patras, Greece
NationalityGreek / Australian
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High schoolCathedral
(Los Angeles, California)
CollegeUC Irvine (2013–2017)
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017Panionios
2017–2018Baskonia B
2018–2019Apollon Patras
2019–2020AEL Limassol
2020–2021Aris Leeuwarden
2021–2022Almansa
2022Eastern Mavericks
2022MBK Handlová
2022UBSC Graz
2023Albacete Basket
2023Joondalup Wolves
2024Perth Redbacks
2024Trikala B.C.
Career highlights and awards

Ioannis Dimakopoulos (Greek: Ιωάννης Δημακόπουλος; born 7 November 1994) is a Greek-Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Redbacks of the NBL1 West. Listed as 7'2" (2.18 m), he plays the center position.

Early life

Dimakopoulos was born in Patras, Greece.[1] He played for the junior teams of Panathinaikos between 2008 and 2012.[2] He participated in the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic in Istanbul, Turkey.[3]

In 2012, Dimakopoulos moved to the United States to attend Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, California. He was a 2013 McDonald's All-American nominee.[3]

College career

After high school, Dimakopoulos played four years of NCAA Division I college basketball for the UC Irvine Anteaters.[3] As a senior in 2016–17, he was named to the All-Big West Conference Second Team.[4][5]

Professional career

On 7 September 2017, Dimakopoulos signed with the Greek club Kolossos Rodou.[6] Two weeks later, he was released from the club for "personal reasons".[7] The following month, he had a two-game stint with Panionios.[2] In December 2017, he joined Spanish club Baskonia B.[2]

For the 2018–19 season, Dimakopoulos played for Apollon Patras.[2] He then played for AEL Limassol in Cyprus in 2019–20.[2]

On 23 December 2020, Dimakopoulos signed with Aris Leeuwarden of the Dutch Basketball League for the season restart in January 2021.[8]

For the 2021–22 season, Dimakopoulos played for Spanish club Almansa.[2]

In June 2022, Dimakopoulos joined the Eastern Mavericks of the NBL1 Central in Australia.[2] He averaged 19.2 points per game.[1]

For the 2022–23 season, Dimakopoulos had a one-game stint with MBK Handlová in Slovakia before playing 14 games for UBSC Graz in Austria between 2 October and 29 December.[2] He joined Spanish club Albacete Basket in January 2023.[2]

On 8 March 2023, Dimakopoulos signed with the Joondalup Wolves in Australia for the 2023 NBL1 West season.[9] He helped the Wolves reach the grand final,[10] where they lost 86–80 to the Geraldton Buccaneers despite Dimakopoulos' 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists.[11] In 14 games, he averaged 11.43 points, 7.36 rebounds, 4.14 assists and 1.21 blocks per game.[12]

On 6 December 2023, Dimakopoulos signed with the Perth Redbacks for the 2024 NBL1 West season.[13]

National team career

Dimakopoulos was a member of the Greek junior national teams. He played at the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and the 2011 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.[14]

Personal life

Dimakopoulos is the son of Dimitris and Aikaterina Dimakopoulos.[3] His father played professional basketball and represented the Greek national team.[3] His mother was born in Australia.[1]

Dimakopoulos holds an Australian passport and has dual Greek-Australian citizenship.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Prentice, Tristan (16 September 2022). "The 7-footer you don't know: The unknown Aussie Ioannis Dimakopoulos". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ioannis Dimakopoulos". eurobasket.com. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Ioannis Dimakopoulos". ucirvinesports.com. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  4. ^ Hawaii's Allen named to All-Big West first team.
  5. ^ Morales, Robert (7 March 2017). "UC Irvine, Russ Turner reap rewards atop Big West". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ gazzetta.gr Ανακοίνωσε Δημακόπουλο ο Κολοσσός Ρόδου! (in Greek).
  7. ^ Ξαφνικό "διαζύγιο" με Δημακόπουλο (in Greek).
  8. ^ "Aris versterkt zich met 2 meter 18 lange center". arisleeuwarden.nl. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  9. ^ "7'2 International Pro Ioannis Dimakopoulos joins the Pack in 2023". Wanneroo Basketball Association. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  10. ^ Pike, Chris (9 August 2023). "Big Ioannis wants Wolves championship before focusing on next target". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ^ Pike, Chris (12 August 2023). "NBL1 West Recap | Men's Grand Final 2023". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Ioannis Dimakopoulos – 2023 Stats". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "WELCOME TO THE PERTH REDBACKS - IOANNIS DIMAKOPOULOS". facebook.com/perthredbacks. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  14. ^ Ioannis DIMAKOPOULOS (GRE).