Sofoklis Schortsanitis - Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης - otherwise known as the Greek Baby Shaq

Baby Shaq Sofoklis Schortsanitis(born June 22, 1985 in Tiko, Cameroon, from a Greek father and a Cameroonian mother) is a Greek professional basketball player who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece's A1 Ethniki league and also in the Euroleague. A 6'10" (2.08 m) [1], 345 lbs. (156 kg) [2] center, Schortsantis was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2nd round (34th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Baby Shaq Sofoklis Schortsanitis has been playing at a professional level in the Greek A1 League since he was a teenager, beginning with the club Iraklis, where he averaged 6.4 minutes and 2.6 points per game. He then went to Italy to play in the Italian League with Pallacanestro Cantù. He then returned back to Greece to play with Aris.









Your Ad Here

After his return to Greece Baby Shaq Sofoklis Schortsanitis made a great effort to once again become the player with "unlimited potential" that had NBA scouts interested in his dramatic increase in ability that was closely linked to Olympiacos's attempt to regain its past glory days. For the A1 Ethniki 2005-06 season, George Garbolas chose him to be Olympiacos's new power forward. The press criticized the signing, stating that Schortsanitis was too heavy, but Garbolas proved everyone wrong, as he encouraged Big Sofo to lose weight. The power forward became a vital member of the team, and his performances impressed Panagiotis Giannakis who selected Schortsanitis to play for the Greek National Team.

In Greek, his name is written Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης