Georgios Bartzokas

Georgios Bartzokas (alternate spellings: Giorgos, George, Mpartzokas) (Greek: Γιώργος Μπαρτζώκας, born June 11, 1965) is a Greek former professional basketball player, and the current head basketball coach for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. During his career as a head coach, Bartzokas (a.k.a. "Chess player") has won numerous titles. With the Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus, he won the World Club Championship title, as he won the 2013 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. He also won the championship of Europe's premiere club competition, the EuroLeague, at the 2013 EuroLeague Final Four, with Olympiacos. Bartzokas has been named the EuroLeague Coach of the Year three times, as he won the award in the years 2013, 2022, and 2023.

Youth career and early life Bartzokas was born on 11 June 1965, in Athens, Greece. At a young age, he first played the sport of football. In 1977, at the age of 12, he began playing the sport of basketball, with the youth teams of the Greek basketball club Maroussi Athens. He remained in Maroussi's youth teams until 1981.

Professional career After spending four years with the youth teams of Maroussi Athens, Bartzokas joined Maroussi's senior men's club in 1981, at the age of 16. Bartzokas, a 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) tall power forward-center, made his senior level debut in the Greek 2nd Division (B) league, during the 1981–82 season. Bartzokas went on to play club basketball with Maroussi Athens, in both the Greek 2nd Division (A2) and Greek 3rd Division (B) leagues, until 1992. During his tenure with the club, he was the team's leading scorer and team captain. Bartzokas' playing career ended at the age of 27, after he had suffered serious knee injuries to both of his legs. He first suffered a torn right knee A

Early coaching career
Bartzokas originally began working as an assistant basketball coach in Greece, in 1987, at the age of 22, while he was still also actively playing club basketball. After he retired from his playing career, Bartzokas first worked as a head coach in the Greek clubs Pefki, Vrilissia Basket, GS Kifissias, and OFI Irakleio. With Vrilissia Basket, he earned two league promotions. With Kifissias, he earned one league promotion.
In 2003, while he was still coaching Kifissias, Bartzokas also began working as an assistant coach in the top-tier level Greek First Division, with his former playing club, Maroussi Athens. Bartzokas worked as an assistant with Maroussi, under the team's head coach at the time, Panagiotis Giannakis, from the 2002–03 season to the 2005–06 season. With Maroussi, Bartzokas was a finalist of the European-wide third-level competition, the FIBA Europe League, in the 2003–04 season. He was also a 2003–04 Greek League season finalist, and a 2006 Greek Cup finalist with Maroussi.

Olympia Larissa
Prior to the 2006–07 season, Bartzokas signed on as the head coach of the Greek club Olympia Larissa. That same season with Olympia, he managed to reach the playoffs of the 2006–07 Greek Basketball League. That was the first time in the club's history that they had made the league's playoffs. Olympia Larissa eventually finished in seventh place in the league overall. As a result, Bartzokas was named the 2007 Greek League Coach of the Year. Bartzokas then repeated the Greek League playoffs qualification with Olympia the next year, during the 2007–08 season.

Maroussi Athens
For the 2009–10 season, Bartzokas became the head coach of the Greek club Maroussi Athens. Under Bartzokas' leadership, Maroussi managed to qualify for the Top 16 Phase of the EuroLeague's 2009–10 season. In Greek domestic competition, Maroussi finished in third place in the Greek League's 2009–10 season. Bartzokas was named the Greek League Best Coach of that same season.

Panionios Athens
Bartzokas became the head coach of the Greek club Panionios Athens, prior to the 2010–11 season. Panionios finished the Greek League 2010–11 season in ninth place. In the following season, under the guidance of Bartzokas, Panionios finished in third place in the Greek League's 2011–12 season. As a result, Bartzokas was named the 2012 Greek League Coach of the Year.

Olympiacos Piraeus
Bartzokas became the head coach of the Greek EuroLeague club Olympiacos Piraeus, in June 2012, prior to the 2012–13 season. With Olympiacos, Bartzokas won the 2012–13 season's championship of the EuroLeague, at the 2013 London EuroLeague Final Four, where Olympiacos' Vassilis Spanoulis was named the 2013 EuroLeague Final Four MVP. In the process, Bartzokas became the first Greek coach in history to win the championship of the EuroLeague.
After winning the EuroLeague championship, Bartzokas was named the 2013 EuroLeague Coach of the Year. With Olympiacos, Bartzokas also managed to win the championship of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, which is the official World Club Championship. He led Olympiacos to the world club title at the 2013 Intercontinental Cup, where they defeated the champions of the 2013 FIBA Americas League, the Brazilian NBB club Pinheiros, in a two game, aggregate score series, by a score of 167–139. Olympiacos' Spanoulis was named the 2013 FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP. Bartzokas was named the Eurobasket News All-Europe Coach of the Year in 2013.

Lokomotiv Kuban
On July 5, 2015, Bartzokas signed a 2-year deal with the Russian club Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague. In the EuroLeague, he coached the team to its first-ever Final Four appearance, as they qualified to the 2016 EuroLeague Final Four, after they beat the Spanish Liga ACB club FC Barcelona, by a series score of 3–2, in the 2016 EuroLeague Playoffs. Bartzokas was named the VTB United League Coach of the Year, of the 2015–16 season.

Barça
On July