Jake Tsakalidis
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| Nickname(s) | Big Jake |
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| Position | Center |
| Height | 7 ft 2.5 in (2.20 m) |
| Weight | 290 lb (130 kg) |
| Born | June 10, 1979 Rustavi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR |
| Nationality | Georgian /Greek |
| College | None |
| Draft | 25th overall, 2000 Phoenix Suns |
| Pro career | 1996–present |
| Career history | AEK Athens (1996–00) Phoenix Suns (2000–03) Memphis Grizzlies (2003–07) Houston Rockets (2007) Olympiacos (2007–08) |
Iakovos "Jake" Tsakalidis (Greek: Ιάκωβος Τσακαλίδης, born June 10, 1979 in Rustavi, Soviet Georgia) is a Georgian, naturalized Greek professional basketball player.
Tsakalidis, a 7 ft 2 1⁄2 in (2.20 m), 290 lb (130 kg) center, holds dual citizenship in Georgia, where he was born, and in Greece, where he was raised and became famous.
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[edit] Greece
Tsakalidis began his professional career in 1996 at the age of 17 with the Greek League club AEK Athens. With AEK, he was a 2-time Greek Cup finalist (1998, 1999), a Saporta Cup winner (2000) and a Greek Cup winner (2000). In those years with AEK, Tsakalidis played at a great level, especially in the painted zone area, where he complemented his fellow teammates Michalis Kakiouzis and Dimosthenis Dikoudis in that area.
In the year 2000, Tsakalidis left Greece and moved to the United States. He began his NBA career that year when he signed with the Phoenix Suns. He would spend the next 7 seasons playing with various NBA teams. In 2007, he returned to Greece after leaving the NBA club the Houston Rockets. He joined the Greek Euroleague club Olympiacos. He is now a free agent.
[edit] NBA
Tsakalidis was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the 1st round (25th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft. On September 30, 2003, Tsakalidis was traded by the Suns with teammate Bo Outlaw to the Memphis Grizzlies for Brevin Knight, Robert Archibald, and Cezary Trybański.
In his NBA career, he has averaged 5.1 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was traded by the Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets on February 13, 2007 for small forward Scott Padgett.[1]
[edit] Greek national basketball team
Tsakalidis played for the Greek national basketball team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship, where his team finished in 4th place, at the 1999 FIBA European Championship, where his team finished in 16th place, and at the 2003 FIBA European Championship, where his team finished in 5th place.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Grizzlies swap C Tsakalidis to Houston for F Padgett, posted February 13th, 2007.
[edit] External links
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- 1979 births
- Living people
- AEK Athens B.C. players
- Olympiacos B.C. players
- Centers (basketball)
- Basketball players from Georgia (country)
- Greek expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Georgian people of Greek descent
- Greek basketball players
- Greek expatriates in the United States
- Greek people of Georgian descent
- Houston Rockets players
- Memphis Grizzlies players
- Phoenix Suns draft picks
- Phoenix Suns players
