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]
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.
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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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]
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]
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]
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.
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