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Nick Calathes

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Nick Calathes
Calathes with Fenerbahçe BC 2023
No. 33 – AS Monaco
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLNB Pro A
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1989-02-07) February 7, 1989 (age 35)
Casselberry, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Greek
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High schoolLake Howell (Winter Park, Florida)
CollegeFlorida (2007–2009)
NBA draft2009: 2nd round, 45th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2009–2012Panathinaikos
2012–2013Lokomotiv Kuban
2013–2015Memphis Grizzlies
2015–2020Panathinaikos
2020–2022FC Barcelona
2022–2024Fenerbahçe
2024–presentAS Monaco
Career highlights and awards

EuroLeague career stats leaders

Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Greece
EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Poland
Calathes with Panathinaikos BC 2016

Nicholas William Calathes (Greek: Νικόλαος Γουίλιαμ "Νικ" Καλάθης, born February 7, 1989) is a Greek-American professional basketball player for AS Monaco of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He is widely considered as one of the best point guards in EuroLeague history.[1]

After playing college basketball for the Florida Gators, Calathes won the EuroLeague title with Panathinaikos in 2011, and reached another final in 2021 with FC Barcelona. A two-time All-EuroLeague First Team selection, he is the EuroLeague all-time assists leader as well as the competition's all-time steals leader. Calathes represents the Hellenic national basketball team internationally, and won a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2009.

Early life

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His father started the Orlando Raptors, where he won several AAU Championships. He attended Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida, and graduated as the leading high school basketball scorer in Seminole County history.[2] He teamed with future Florida Gator Chandler Parsons, future VCU Ram Joey Rodriguez, to help Lake Howell to a 31–3 record, and a state championship in 2007. At Lake Howell, Calathes twice won the Florida Mr. Basketball award, placing him on a long list of NBA players who have won that award, including Vince Carter, Amar'e Stoudemire, Brandon Knight, and Austin Rivers.[3]

College career

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Calathes playing for the Florida Gators

Calathes accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators men's basketball team from 2007 to 2009. Calathes was considered one of the top play-making guards in college basketball. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he could play the positions of point guard, shooting guard, and small forward.

He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 2009, and he was the only player in the nation to average better than 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Calathes broke the Florida school records for assists and assists per game in each of his first two years, totaling 221 as a freshman (6.1 assists per game), and 231 (6.4 assists per game) as a sophomore. He ranked third in Florida school history in career assists after just two years. He was the SEC Newcomer of the Year and the SEC co-Freshman of the Year in 2008, as he led Florida in scoring and assists.

College career highs

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College career highs
Stat High Opponent Date
Points 33 Kentucky February 10, 2009
Total Rebounds 13 Georgia January 28, 2009
Assists 13 Georgia February 14, 2009
Steals 5 Alabama February 18, 2009

Professional career

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Panathinaikos (2009–2012)

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On May 23, 2009, Calathes announced that he would bypass the NBA to play in the Greek Basket League. He agreed to terms with the elite EuroLeague club Panathinaikos Athens. The three-year deal paid Calathes around €2.4 million net income, in addition to providing him with a home, car, and endorsements, making for a total package commensurate with what the NBA rookie salary scale provided an early lottery selection.[4] Despite his commitment to play in Greece, he was still selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2010 second-round draft pick and cash.

"Diamantidis was the MVP of the series, but Calathes was the key player."

In his first year with Panathinaikos, he won the Greek League championship, averaging 5.4 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. He also participated in the Greek Youth All-Star Game (for players age 22 and under), in which he scored six points and dished six assists. In 2010, Calathes was also voted the third best young player (age 22 and under) in the Greek League, after Nikos Pappas and Vangelis Mantzaris. In the 2010–11 season, Calathes had an average of 7.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in the Greek League. He also participated in the senior men's HEBA Greek All-Star Game, replacing Theo Papaloukas (who was out with an injury), because he was 16th in the fan voting with 1,200 votes. Calathes scored 11 points and dished six assists in the All-Star Game.

In the EuroLeague 2010–11 playoffs, Calathes scored a career-high 12 points against Barcelona in game 4 of the playoff series. Barcelona head coach Xavi Pascual said, "Diamantidis was the MVP of the series, but Calathes was the key player." His teammate, Ian Vougioukas, stated about him, "Calathes played four outstanding games, especially on defense, and was a key for us." In the four-game playoff series against Barcelona, Calathes averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and a steal in 26 minutes per game.

In the 2010–11 EuroLeague semifinal against Montepaschi Siena, Calathes had another good performance, which helped send Panathinaikos to the 2011 EuroLeague Final. He scored 17 points, dished two assists to his teammates, and grabbed six rebounds. At the 2011 EuroLeague Final against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Calathes helped Panathinaikos, by scoring four points, recording six assists, and making two steals. Finally, Calathes won his first EuroLeague title. In the 2010–11 Greek League playoffs, Calathes had an average of 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, in 23 minutes per game. He helped Panathinaikos to reach the Greek League Finals. He played especially good in the fourth game of the Greek League Finals, in which he had 16 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds, in 42 minutes. He won his second Greek League championship with Panathinaikos, and he was named to the Eurobasket.com website's All-Greek A1 League First Team and All-Defensive Team. He also won the Eurobasket.com website's Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Lokomotiv Kuban (2012–2013)

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In the summer of 2012, Calathes signed a two-year contract with the Russian VTB United League team Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar.[5] He signed a two-year €2.2 million net income contract.[6] He was named to the First Team[7] and selected the season MVP[8] of Europe's 2nd-tier level competition, the EuroCup, in 2013.

Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2015)

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On July 22, 2013, the Dallas Mavericks traded Calathes's draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick.[9] On August 20, 2013, Calathes officially signed a two-year contract with the Grizzlies.[10] In February 2014, starting for the injured Mike Conley Jr., he was named Rookie of the Month, averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.

On April 18, 2014, just days before the 2014 postseason commenced, Calathes was suspended for 20 games for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy; the league stated that Calathes had tested positive for Tamoxifen, though there was no evidence indicating that Calathes had been testosterone doping or using any other performance-enhancing substance that would have been masked by the Tamoxifen. The NBA statement announcing the suspension, which took effect immediately, also indicated that the banned substance was an ingredient in a supplement that Calathes had been taking.[11] Calling the suspension a "true injustice", acting NBPA Executive Director Ron Klempner indicated that the suspension would be appealed.[12]

Return to Panathinaikos (2015–2020)

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On July 15, 2015, Panathinaikos announced the signing of Calathes for three years.[13] It was reported that the net income of the deal was $7 million dollars. On October 22, against the Turkish Super League club Karşıyaka Basket, Calathes set a new personal career-high of 11 assists in a EuroLeague game.[14][15] On March 6, 2016, he won the Greek Cup for the second time in his career, having nine points, seven assists, and four rebounds in the Greek Cup Final. He was named the 2016 Greek League Best Defender.[16] He won the Greek Cup again with Panathinaikos in 2017, as well as the Greek championship title.

In the summer of 2017, Calathes played in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN for Pedro's Posse. He competed for the $2 million prize, losing in the first round to Team 23, by a score of 107–92.[17]

In the 2017–18 season, Calathes emerged as the team leader of Panathinaikos. Over 31 EuroLeague games, he averaged career-highs of 14.5 points and 8 assists per game. In May 2018, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team of the 2017–18 season.[18]

On June 27, 2018, Calathes agreed to a €6.5 million net income contract extension with Panathinaikos, that would keep him in Athens through the 2020–21 season.

Barcelona (2020–2022)

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On July 9, 2020, Calathes signed with FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB.[19] On June 23, 2022, Calathes was excluded from the plans of Barcelona coach, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, for the 2022–23 season,[20] after arguments between the two ex-teammates and due to the decision of the Blaugrana to cut down on their budget.

Fenerbahçe (2022–2024)

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On August 23, 2022, Calathes signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).[21][22] In a highly successful 2023–24 season, which saw Calathes reunite with his former coach Jasikevičius, Fenerbahçe made its return to the EuroLeague Final Four after a five-year break.[23] The team also won the Turkish League and the Turkish Cup.

AS Monaco (2024–present)

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On June 17, 2024, Calathes signed a two-year deal with AS Monaco of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague, joining his former Panathinaikos teammate and EuroLeague all-time leading scorer Mike James.[24]

National team career

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Junior national team

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Calathes made his debut with the Greek junior national team at the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 22 minutes per game. With the Under-20 Greek junior national basketball team, he played in 10 games in total, scoring 115 points, averaging 11.5 points per game.

Senior national team

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Calathes with the Greece men's national basketball team

In 2009, Calathes debuted with the Greece men's national basketball team, and with them he won the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2009. At the 2009 EuroBasket, Calathes was 5th in the tournament in steals, with 1.6 per game, and he also averaged 4.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and two assists, in 17 minutes per game. In the semifinal against Spain, despite his team losing the game, he scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished two assists, and made two steals.

The next summer, at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, Greece failed to win a medal. Calathes averaged 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during the tournament. At the EuroBasket 2011, Calathes helped Greece to finish in sixth place, with averages of 9.2 points and 3.8 assists per game. He also played at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Calathes was suspended from competing in any FIBA competitions for four months, from April 2014 to August 2014, by WADA.[25] This was due to his NBA suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy, after he tested positive for Tamoxifen.[26][27]

With Greece, he also played at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the EuroBasket 2015, and the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He also played with Greece at the EuroBasket 2017, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification.

Calathes has played with the Greece men's national basketball team in 105 games to date, scoring 851 points, for an average of 8.1 points per game.[28]

Greek senior national team stats

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[29]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009 EB Greece 8 1 17.3 .353 .182 .636 2.1 2.0 1.6 0.1 4.1
2010 WC 6 0 12.7 .491 .000 .625 2.2 2.5 .7 0.2 4.5
2011 EB 11 10 25.5 .418 .222 .784 2.6 3.8 1.6 0.1 9.2
2012 OQT 3 2 18.3 .429 .1000 .778 2.0 3.0 .7 0.0 7.3
2014 WC 6 6 26.2 .509 .375 .462 3.7 2.3 0.8 0.7 11.3
2015 EB 8 8 25.1 .556 .611 .667 2.3 5.3 0.8 0.1 9.9
2016 OQT 3 3 19.7 .412 .286 .000 2.3 5.3 1.7 0.3 5.3
2017 EB 7 7 27.7 .500 .333 .462 3.4 5.0 1.3 0.0 13.6
2019 WC 5 5 28.7 .491 .417 .429 4.4 5.4 1.6 0.0 13.4

Personal life

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Calathes was born to a Greek-American father and an Irish-American mother. He holds dual citizenship with the United States and Greece. He acquired his Greek passport on June 30, 2008, due to his Greek background. His paternal grandparents emigrated to Florida from the Greek island Lemnos. His older brother, Pat, is also a professional basketball player.

Calathes' last name in Greek translates as "basket" (καλάθι). In 2013, Calathes' fiancé, Tiffany, gave birth to the couple's first child.

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

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Memphis 71 7 16.5 .457 .311 .611 1.9 2.9 .9 .1 4.9
2014–15 Memphis 58 0 14.4 .424 .256 .533 1.8 2.5 1.1 .1 4.2
Career 129 7 15.6 .441 .288 .581 1.9 2.7 1.0 .1 4.6

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015 Memphis 9 3 14.0 .333 .462 .375 1.8 1.8 1.0 .1 3.7
Career 9 3 14.0 .333 .462 .375 1.8 1.8 1.0 .1 3.7

EuroLeague

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† Denotes season in which Calathes won the EuroLeague
* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2009–10 Panathinaikos 14 2 13.7 .386 .227 .455 1.9 1.7 .6 — 3.5 4.1
2010–11† 22 6 15.4 .562 .353 .692 1.6 1.5 .7 .1 4.8 5.0
2011–12 23* 14 23.5 .486 .298 .500 2.8 2.4 1.2 .0 7.6 8.3
2015–16 27 26 30.2 .417 .329 .568 4.1 6.4 2.0* .2 9.0 12.8
2016–17 33 33 27.2 .405 .246 .500 4.0 5.5 1.5 .2 9.8 11.7
2017–18 31 31 29.0 .476 .293 .576 3.8 8.0* 1.7* .1 14.5 18.5
2018–19 33 33 31.0 .393 .265 .528 4.3 8.7* 1.7* .1 12.2 15.8
2019–20 28* 28* 32.2* .420 .281 .594 4.9 9.1* 1.1 .1 13.3 17.8
2020–21 Barcelona 41* 37 25.1 .428 .327 .533 3.3 6.5 .9 .2 7.8 10.3
2021–22 29 27 24.5 .487 .317 .450 4.0 6.4* 1.1 .1 7.3 11.8
2022–23 Fenerbahçe 39 39 25.7 .440 .336 .382 4.0 4.9 1.1 .0 8.0 10.0
2023–24 38 35 23.7 .464 .357 .513 4.2 4.8 1.1 .2 7.1 10.5
Career 358 311 25.8 .438 .300 .537 3.7 5.8 1.3 .1 9.0 11.8

EuroCup

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2012–13 Lokomotiv Kuban 17 15 33.8 .551 .275 .593 5.9 6.6 1.4 .1 12.9 17.2
Career 17 15 33.8 .551 .275 .593 5.9 6.6 1.4 .1 12.9 17.2

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 30 16.0 .516 .364 .622 2.4 2.1 .9 .1 5.6
2010–11 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 34 19.9 .525 .279 .667 3.1 3.2 1.0 .1 7.8
2011–12 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 33 22.0 .476 .275 .537 2.3 3.0 1.7 .0 8.1
2012–13 Russia Lokomotiv Kuban RPBL 9 30.6 .482 .300 .651 6.0 5.3 1.2 .2 12.9
2012–13 Russia Lokomotiv Kuban VTBUL 16 31.0 .541 .414 .611 4.6 5.8 1.7 .1 15.0
2015–16 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 34 28.0 .412 .261 .533 4.6 6.3 1.9 .3 8.6
2016–17 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 35 23.3 .471 .368 .545 3.7 5.3 1.1 .1 9.5
2017–18 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 35 22.0 .460 .318 .500 3.9 6.9 1.7 .1 10.4
2018–19 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 27 22.7 .438 .378 .811 3.4 8.2 1.4 .0 9.8
2019–20 Greece Panathinaikos HEBA A1 19 17.0 .418 .419 .800 3.4 7.2 1.5 .0 6.8
2020–21 Spain Barcelona ACB 40 20.0 .478 .393 .523 2.9 5.3 1.2 .1 8.1
2021–22 Spain Barcelona ACB 39 22.5 .406 .288 .590 4.3 5.2 .8 .3 6.3
2022–23 Turkey Fenerbahçe TBSL 20 22.5 .420 .329 .429 3.9 5.7 .9 — 7.7
2023–24 Turkey Fenerbahçe TBSL 22 24.2 .472 .458 .700 3.9 7.8 .9 .1 6.8

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Florida 36 36 32.6 .426 .367 .724 5.2 6.1 1.6 .1 15.3
2008–09 Florida 36 35 33.3 .482 .390 .707 5.3 6.4 1.9 .2 17.2
Career 72 71 33.0 .455 .380 .715 5.3 6.3 1.8 .1 16.3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Monaco tabs assists King Nick Calathes
  2. ^ Orlando Sentinel - Central Florida Varsity the Blog: Boys Basketball archives.
  3. ^ Former Gator basketball player Nick Calathes has a lucrative future mapped out
  4. ^ "Gainesville.com Calathes To Play In Greece". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  5. ^ Sportando.net Lokomotiv Kuban agreed to terms with Nick Calathes.
  6. ^ Sports.in.gr Η Λοκομοτίβ Κούμπαν ανακοίνωσε τον Καλάθη για δύο χρόνια (in Greek).
  7. ^ Eurocupbasketball.com Star power fills 2012-13 All-Eurocup teams!
  8. ^ Eurocupbasketball.com 2012-13 Eurocup MVP: Nick Calathes, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar.
  9. ^ Grizzlies acquire rights to Nick Calathes
  10. ^ "Grizzlies sign Nick Calathes". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  11. ^ "Nick Calathes violates drug policy". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (April 18, 2014). "Players union head: Calathes suspension 'a true injustice'". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  13. ^ "Calathes For Three Years". paobc.gr. July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  14. ^ 2015-16 Regular Season Round 2 OCTOBER 22, 2015.
  15. ^ [Nick Calathes 6 points 11 assists vs Karşıyaka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqn_bbZ9K0A J2 Nick Calathes 6 points 11 assists vS Pinar Euroleague 2016.]
  16. ^ Καλύτερος Αμυντικός ο Καλάθης (in Greek).
  17. ^ "Bracket | The Basketball Tournament". www.thetournament.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  18. ^ "2017-18 All-EuroLeague First Team presented by 7DAYS". euroleague.net. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  19. ^ "Principi d'acord amb Nick Calathes fins al 2023" (in Spanish). fcbarcelona.cat. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Nick Calathes isn't included in Barcelona plans". Eurohoops. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Nick Calathes Fenerbahçe Beko'da" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  22. ^ "Fenerbahce officially signs Nick Calathes". Eurohoops. August 23, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Gancedo, Javier (May 9, 2024). "Calathes, Biberovic shined on unforgettable night for Fenerbahce". EuroLeague. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  24. ^ "Monaco tabs EuroLeague assists king Nick Calathes". EuroLeague. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  25. ^ Eurohoops.net Calathes ready for the World Cup.
  26. ^ "Nick Calathes violates drug policy". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  27. ^ Archive.FIBA.com Nicholas CALATHES (GRE).
  28. ^ Ονοματεπώνυμο: ΚΑΛΑΘΗΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΣ ΓΟΥΙΛΙΑΜ (in Greek).
  29. ^ Nick CALATHES (GRE) participated in 14 FIBA / FIBA Zones events SENIOR LEVEL.
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