Who is Sofoklis Schortsanitis aka Baby Shaq? All you need to know
Sofoklis Schortsanitis aka Baby Shaq is a former Greek professional basketball player. He played for more than 10 teams during his career and also played several big games for the Greek national team.
Standing at 6-foot-10 and weighing around 345 pounds, Schortsanitis earned the "Baby Shaq" nickname. This came as no surprise since the Greek player used his height, weight, and strength to dominate his opponents in the paint.
This article will reveal everything we know about Sofoklis Schortsanitis aka Baby Shaq. At one point in his career, he even played against Shaquille O'Neal, which was a very interesting matchup.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis was a nightmare for the Team USA
The 2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team was a complete disaster. Many players who were originally supposed to be on the roster decided to miss the tournament, which ended up being the wrong move.
Despite having amazing young players such as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony, Team USA failed to win the gold medal for the first time since 1988.
In 2006, the United States national team looked to redeem themselves by participating in the FIBA World Cup. Unfortunately, they ran into Greece who had Sofoklis Schortsanitis and many other amazing players.
Baby Shaq spent only 17 minutes on the floor, yet he scored 14 points. Team USA put Dwight Howard, Elton Brand, and Chris Bosh against him, but no one could stop him. Schortsanitis only missed a single field goal and was 6-for-7 from the field.
LeBron, Wade, and Anthony combined for 63 out of Team USA's 95 points, but this wasn't enough to stop Greece. In the end, Schortsanitis and his team prevailed and advanced to the final game of the tournament.
Greece ended up winning a silver medal, which was one of the highlights of Schortsanitis' career. He was also the EuroLeague champion in 2014, Greek League champion in 2013, and won two Greek Cups in his career.
Baby Shaq vs. Real Shaq
The Cleveland Cavaliers had an interesting preseason game on October 12, 2009. They hosted the Athens Olympiacos at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Cavaliers in June 2009, and the game against the Olympiacos was one of his first games with his new team. It was also his chance to play against Baby Shaq.
At this point, Shaq was 37 and was in the second-to-last year of his impressive NBA career. However, he dropped 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in the game.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis, on the other hand, struggled against the Cavaliers. He ended up scoring only four points and grabbing five boards. The Greek player shot 2-for-7 from the field and ended the game with five fouls and five turnovers.
Schortsanitis was outplayed by Shaq, but he loved that he had a chance to play against him. Here is what he said after the game:
"I grew up watching Shaq, so it was great," Schortsanitis said. "It's a real honor that I can get a nickname of a player like that."
"He's an absolute power. I thought I was strong, but he's so strong. I really enjoyed it," Baby Shaq added.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis was drafted with the 34th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. However, he is one of the 11 players from the draft class to have never played in the NBA.