Michalis Kakiouzis (206-F-1976, agency: Interperformances) is a former Greek professional player who played 24 years and 14 in his home country. He also played in Italy, Spain, Turkey, France, Italy, Switzerland and Cyprus. He won 11 career titles and played in countries Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Cyprus and was captain of the 2005 Greek national team that won Gold at the Euro. He played 8 seasons for AEK, and also played with FC Barcelona and Siena. Currently he is coaching Keravnos in Cyprus. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

Thanks Michalis for talking to eurobasket. You have been retired for 8 years now as a player. What do you miss more from playing and competing now than maybe 1-2 years after you retired?

I obviously miss the team and locker room time. But to be honest, I enjoy the time more now being a coach. Being a coach now is a normal thing. I still feel pain from my playing days. I have had enough having been a player.

After your playing career you were lead scout for AEK Athens. What did you enjoy most about the job and were there some young players that you discovered early on that became well known?

My time as a scout was an important time for me before becoming a coach. It helped me discover myself and scout young players. It was something new for me and it was challenging. It helped me most about understanding how to find the right players for my duties later as coach.

You have been coaching in Cyprus for Keravnos. Was starting in another country instead of Greece a decision you feel was smarter than being in Greece?

I actually began my coaching career in Greece coaching young players at an academy. I decided it was better to go step by step to see if I could handle it. I wanted to start low and move up. I love coaching. I saw first hand at the start how it can be as a coach having a team in lower divisions and solving the kind of problems you see there. I saw adversary and that helped me move step by step as a coach.

What kind of an experience has it been coaching in Cyprus. What have you enjoyed most about it and how is the state of basketball in that country? This seems to be a country like many others like Finland and Holland where especially Americans use as a stepping stone to reach higher leagues.

I have enjoyed my time in Cyprus. Before coming here, I had gathered further experience in Romania and won a cup there. Having the opportunity to coach this well known organization has been great. The conditions are excellent something you don´t see with other organizations in Cyprus. We are expected to win which is something I experienced a lot as a player. Having those expectations are easy for me to deal with.

Let´s talk about your playing career. You had a very successful career winning 11 titles and winning the silver and gold at the Eurochampionships. Was the 2005 EM Gold your biggest thrill to win?

For me it´s simple. When you represent your country and win, it will always be the be at the highest position of achievement. For me it is bigger than winning a Euroleague title. It is simply huge.

You played 8 seasons with AEK Athens early in your career winning some titles. You showed real love and loyalty for this team. Didn´t you ever get offers from Olympiakos or Panathinaikos? Why didn´t you play for Greece´s top teams?

Back then AEK was a very well known club. It´s reputation was bigger than today. They played Euroleague and had great coaches and players. I´m still an AEK fan. I had an offer to play with other top clubs in Greece, but at the time I was in Sienna and was happy there.

Do you feel like your loyalty to AEK Athens was respected in Greece? I don´t think you see this now anymore. But 20 years ago was the mindset of players different than today where guys are worried about getting the best contract?

I will always be a AEK fan. The job situation can change any day for any player. If the conditions aren´t right, you can´t do anything about it. No matter how high the loyalty is.

You played with some great players in your years at AEK Athens like Nikos Zisis, JR Holden, Geert Hammink and Pero Antic just to name a few. Was there a player that really influenced you the most in those years?

I´m really lucky to have played with so many great players. Those mentioned here are great ones. I was captain of Greece´s national team and played with FC Barcelona. I could mention so many great players that I had the pleasure being teammates with. We made each other better. I also played for many great coaches. It would be unfair to name just one player or coach that influenced me the most.

You were U-18 world champion with Greece in 1995. How vital was this win for the future of Greek basketball and what was the Greek federation doing correctly then?

I mean Greece won the Euro already in 1987. I think that after that win, Greece continued to build. That team were our leaders. We wanted to be like them. In 1995, we were kids and played in our home country in front of 20,000 loud fans. We were 18 years old and were playing in front of so many people. It was difficult to imagine. We had a great team. That win was the beginning of me. After that I experienced dream after dream that came true.

From 2003-2005 you played with Sienna winning 2 titles. What memories do you have of these 2 years. You had solid Euroleague seasons averaging 7 and 8ppg. How did your game grow in the Serie A and Euroleague?

Sienna is still one of the best organizations that I ever played for. It was my first team out of Greece. The situation was perfect for me at that time. It was a small city and Italy was beautiful. The city was small and when we won the title, we celebrated for a week. The teams we had were incredible. We reached the Euroleague final 4 twice in Barcelona and Tel Aviv. Sienna is like my home. If I could live in a city forever, it would be Sienna. They were amazing years.

You were teammates with a young Luigi Datome. Was his immense talent already present then? Did you see him having the long lasting career that he has had?

Datome was just at the start of his career. You could see early that he wanted to become a great player with the way he played and understood the game at a young age. He was a big listener and worked hard every day. He showed after 2 years that he was on his way to becoming a great player.

In 2005 you were captain of the national team and helped win the Gold medal at the Euro in Belgrade. This was a year after the football team also won the Euro. How crazy was this time. Did you feel like a national hero?

It was a crazy time. We also had had the Olympics in 2004. It is really difficult to explain how huge this time was in Greece. I don´t know if I felt like a hero, but I definitely felt like I was at a different level. It was the best time in Greece sports history. We had it all.

You were teammates with 2 of possibly the greatest guards at that time Spanoulis and Diamantidis. Who was the best player that you played with?

Every teammate I had in the Greek national team played at a high level. There wasn´t just 1 or 2 guys that were better than the rest. All 12 guys were great players and more importantly great guys. I had no one favorite. We all played excellent together and the most important part was that we were friends.

In the final you beat Germany 78-62 despite a 23/9 game by Dirk Nowitzki. What memories do you have of this game. Was the 74-73 semi-final win over Spain, Germany´s real final game?

We as a team had a lot of energy. We hadn´t passed the second round at the previous Euro 2003. Germany had good players and a good coach with Bauermann. Germany had the great Dirk, but we simply had a better team. I think the result was fair. We continued the success at the next World Championships reaching the final. This was the best national team in Greek basketball history.

What memories do you have of Dirk Nowitzki and guarding him? That fade away jumper was unguardable?

All our focus was on Dirk and how we could stop him. We had 12 great players and we tried our best to guard him. We tried to limit him as much as possible in the post and with touches, but there is only so much you can do against a great player like him.

You played with FC Barcelona from 2005-2007. You were 30 and in your prime. Were these 2 years your highlight of your career? You played with one of the world´s most famous teams.

Yes for sure. Playing for FC Barcelona was another dream come true for me in a long line of dreams as a professional player. In Barcelona you weren´t just the player, but had a big obligation to the organization. Everybody treated each other well on and off the court. Winning is all that counts for them. It was an honor being a member of that organization.

You were teammates with Juan Carlos Navarro. Soon he went to the NBA? Do you feel like his worth and legacy in Europe is overshadowed from legends like Nowitzki and Pao Gasol? Where do you see Navarro´s legacy being?

I believe he is one of the top 10 European players to ever play the game. He had good numbers in the NBA. He was a rookie and if you compare that with now, it isn´t so easy to have been successful then than now in the NBA. I see him at the same level as with the Gasol brothers. He is a top 3 Spanish player ever.

Every one has their special Mario Kasun story. He was a beast that made the NBA? Do you remember him riding his motorcycle down the streets of Barcelona.

We are great friends. He is an unbelievable guy. I love him. No no Mario didn´t drive his motorcycle in those days. It was forbidden by the team.

You played against so many great Euroleague players. Who do you remember being the toughest player?

That is hard to say. I always had tough opponents at the highest level with different teams and leagues. It was always tough to play against Greek players.

In the 2007-2008 season you played with Cajasol Sevilla (Spain-Liga ACB) You played with so many Americans in your career, but how does Tyrone Ellis remain in your thoughts?

Tyrone was an excellent shooter and teammate. I really loved to play with him. I will never forget his jump shoot. He jumped very high when shooting. He could score 30 points easily. He was that kind of player that you loved having on your side, but never as a teammate.

In the 2008-2009 season you played with Efes Pilsen Istanbul (Turkey-TBL) averaging 6.4ppg, 3.0rpg, FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 38.1%, FT: 90.9% in the Euroleague and in the Turkish League averaged 6.5ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.0apg, FGP-1 (71.0%), 3PT: 31.5%, FT: 75.0%. You won the double. How special was this season and how do you remember the Turkish league being then in comparison to today as it has become a top 5 league in Europe with high team budgets?

Back then you had 6 or 7 teams at eyelevel and the rest were ok. Now the Turkish league is one of the toughest in Europe. Mario Kasun was my teammate here.

In Turkey you were reunited for the third time with American Bootsy Thornton. Did you guys become like brothers and do you still have contact to him today?

Unfortunately we don´t have contact now, but I still see him like a brother. It didn´t matter where we were, if it was at Sienna, Barcelona or Efes, we won something together in each place. He is one of the best guys that I ever met. He was unbelievable on and off the court. He improved his game each season. That is why he was able to play at the highest level. I will never forget him. Together we were something beautiful to see.

In the 2009-2010 season you played with Aris Thessaloniki (A1) averaging 8.7ppg, 5.1rpg, FGP: 64.7%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 80.8%; in the Eurocup and 8.7ppg, 5.7rpg, FGP: 62.2%, 3PT: 27.1%, FT: 66.7% in the Greek league. How special was it playing for David Blatt? What was unique about his coaching style?

This was another incredible experience for me. David Blatt really helped change my mind and helped me view the game in a different way. His preparation was incredible. His resume now shows what kind of a coach he is. We had some problems then at Aris, but he did a great job holding the team together. I use some of his tactics that he used there now in my coaching ways.

You also played in France with Le Mans Le Mans Sarthe Basket (France-ProA) averaging 7.3ppg, 3.9rpg, FGP: 31.3%, 3PT: 45ga %, FT: 91.7% in the Eurocup and in the French League averaged 9.0ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 32.2%, FT: 80.0%. What memories do you have of the French Pro A. You were a player that could adjust to any style anywhere?

I was afraid of nothing. I could play in any league. The France Pro A league was the most athletic that I ever played in. I was never athletic, but here I was able to adjust to that league and still be an important player for the team. I had to think a lot more on the court. Le Mans reminded me a lot of my time with Sienna.

In 2011-2012 you lived in Rome. What was it like playing for Virtus Rome and living in one of the most historic cities in the world. What did you appreciate most about Rome?

Rome was perfect. I had a great coach. Rome was a big city and the traffic didn´t bother me, because I was used to it from Athens. We tried to win the title, but lost. I remember being reunited again with Luigi Datome. He played incredible and a few years later he reached the NBA.

In 2012-2013 you played for SAV Vacallo Basket (Switzerland-LNA) averaging 15.5ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.3apg, 2.0spg, 2FGP: 63.3%, 3FGP: 23.7%, FT: 78.9%. You scored 37 points against Boncourt and was teammates with Larry O Bannon who had won the 1995 NCAA title with UCLA. 2 champions as teammates must have been enjoyable?

This was also a nice team. To be honest, I don´t remember the game. I never cared about the points. Playing in Switzerland was definitely something totally new, but I always showed that I was never scared of trying something new. I think that having played in so many different places always helped me adjust.

In 2013-2014 you returned to Greece to play with AE Nea Kifissia Dimoulas Athens (A1) averaging 7.3ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 66.7%. What was it like playing in Greece again. How had the league changed in the last 10 years?

The league had changed a lot. We were new in the league but we had good players. At first it was a bit strange being back, but it´s always easier to adjust in your own country. It was a big challenge being in a new team. I helped the young players about giving my knowledge and I was already thinking about my future coaching career.

You ended your professional career with AO Faros Keratsiniou (A2) averaging 5.3ppg, 1.9rpg, FGP-1 (72.1%), 3PT: 36.8%, FT-3 (92.9%). You ended your career on a high note.

Yes that´s true. It was a good way to go out. We won the title to move up and reached the cup final against Panathinaikos where he lost. It was the perfect end.

Who were your 5 best teammates of all-time?

I loved everybody.

Please name your Euro Mount Rushmore of 5 top players?

Peja Stojakovic, Juan Carlos Navarro, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Arvydas Sabonis

Who is your GOAT?

Michael Jordan

Thanks Michalis for the chat.