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Yiannis Ioannidis

Yiannis Ioannidis (Greek Γιάννης Ιωαννίδης) was a Greek New Democracy (ND) politician - one-time Deputy Minister of Culture - and basketball player and coach.

Social and Political career

Ioannidis was born in Thessaloniki, on February 26, 1945. He studied Agriculture in the Faculty of Geotechnical Sciences in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

During his youth he became a member of Aris Thessaloniki basketball team, playing for the club between 1959 and 1978. He is second (to Nikos Galis) on Aris all-time scoring list with 4,970 point. In the 1970s, he became a coach, managing to win 12 league titles and participating in 3 FIBA European Championship Final Four. He worked with Aris, AEK, Olympiakos and the Greek National Basketball Team. He was considered to be the best Greek basketball coach, winning the most titles (18). He announced his retirement from professional basketball in 2004, before being elected a New Democracy MP for the Thessaloniki A constituency in the 2004 general election.

In September, 2007, Ioannidis replaced Giorgos Orfanos as Deputy Minister for Culture with responsibility for Sports. He served again in that post between 2012 and 2013.

He died on October 4, 2023.

Ioannidis was married to Panagiota Guzelopoulou. The couple had one daughter - Eleni Theodora.

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