Eleftherios "Lefteris" Mantzoukas (alternate spelling: Madzoukas) (Greek: Ελευθέριος "Λευτέρης" Μαντζούκας; born July 8, 2003) is a Greek professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He is 2.07 m (6'9 1⁄2") tall and he can play both as a small forward, as well as a stretch power forward.
| No. 72 – Panathinaikos | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Small forward |
| League | Greek Basket League EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2003-07-08) July 8, 2003 (age 19) Ioannina, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9.5 in (2.07 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2021 | Promitheas Patras |
| 2021–present | Panathinaikos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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On 14 February 2018, at the age of 14, Mantzoukas began his pro career with Promitheas Patras, in the Greek Basket League, during the 2017–18 season.[1] He made his Greek League debut in a game versus Panionios, in which he scored 2 points, in 1 minute of playing time.[2] Mantzoukas thus became the second youngest player to ever debut in the top-tier level Greek League, since it became fully professional in 1992. Georgios Papagiannis is the only other player to have previously debuted in the same competition, at a younger age.
Three months later, on 24 May 2017, while still at the age of 13, Mantzoukas became the youngest player to ever start a game in the top-tier level Greek League, since it became fully professional in 1992.[3] He accomplished that when he started a Greek League game against Olympiacos, in which he scored 12 points, in 31 minutes of playing time.[4] During the 2017–18 Greek League season, he averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game, in 7 games played.[5]
On 10 October 2018, at the age of 15, Mantzoukas debuted in one of the two European-wide secondary level competitions, the FIBA Champions League, during the 2018–19 season. He made his FIBA Champions League debut in a game versus the Belgian League club Oostende, in which he went scoreless, in 1 minute of playing time.[6] During the 2018–19 FIBA Champions League season, he averaged 3.5 points and 0.5 rebounds per game, in 2 games played.[7] He also averaged 1.5 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, in 4 games played, during the 2018–19 Greek League season.[8]
On 2 October 2019, at the age of 16, Mantzoukas debuted in the other European-wide secondary level competition, the EuroCup, during the 2019–20 season. He made his EuroCup debut in a game versus the Israeli Super League club Maccabi Rishon LeZion, in which he scored 2 points.[9]
On 18 December 2020, Promitheas announced that Mantzoukas would be moving to EuroLeague mainstay Panathinaikos on a five-year contract.
Mantzoukas has been a member of the junior national teams of Greece. He played at the 2018 FIBA Under-16 European Championship, where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.[10] He also played at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 European Championship, where he averaged 15.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.[11]
Panathinaikos current roster | |
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