Diamantidis wins sixth Euroleague Best Defender Trophy

ATHENS (Euroleague) - Panathinaikos talisman Dimitris Diamantidis on Wednesday was named the best defender in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the sixth time in seven seasons.

The 30-year-old former Greece international - who retired from the national team after last summer's FIBA World Championship - missed out on the award last season when he finished third behind Russia's Viktor Khryapa and Ricky Rubio of Spain. He has won it every other year since its inception in 2005.

Diamantidis beat out three players who, like him, helped their respective teams reach the Final Four in Barcelona next month: Montepaschi Siena power forward Shaun Stonerook and the Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv pair of Doron Perkins and Chuck Eidson.

The player nicknamed the 'Octopus Man' because of his never-ending wingspan ranked 10th in the Euroleague with 1.6 steals per game and his 3.8 rebounds placed him second among all guards.

Coaches recognised Diamantidis' impact went well beyond numbers and rewarded him for his suffocating on-the-ball pressure, his versatility in defending multiple position and the leadership role he played in making Panathinaikos the third best defense of the season, holding opponents just under 70 points per game.

While living up to his reputation as one of the best defensive players in Euroleague history, the 198cm guard/forward showed he is getting better with age by putting together his most productive season on the offensive end, averaging career highs of 12.6 points and 5.7 assists per game.

The Best Defender Trophy is the second of several end-of-season Euroleague honours.

On Tuesday, former Serbia and Montenegro international Igor Rakocevic of Efes Pilsen took the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy.

Still to be announced are the Euroleague Rising Star Trophy for players under 22 and the nominees for the All-Euroleague first and second teams.

FIBA