Yorgos Lanthimos Was a Real Hooper

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The entertainment world is littered with hoopers who went Hollywood. Shaq is the most well-known example, but we also must respect Jason Sudeikis and Mahershala Ali’s college basketball careers, as well as Jason Segel playing high school ball under the nickname Dr. Dunk. But did you know that one of the wackiest filmmakers in the league—Yorgos Lanthimos, director of The Favourite, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and current Oscar contender Poor Things—was getting buckets in Greece back in the day?

That’s right: long before the Oscar nominations, an 18-year-old Lanthimos played one season for Pagrati BC, a team in an Athens neighborhood that Wikipedia notes has been taken over by hipsters. The story of Yorgos’ basketball days has been largely underreported, probably in large part due to the fact that it occurred under less-than-ideal circumstances. The only reason teenage Lanthimos made the roster in the first place was because the team’s regular players were on strike. Pagrati BC is also the same team that Lanthimos’ father played for. Yorgos’ dad (who played for the Greek national team as well) had a much more accomplished hardwood career than his son, and was a prolific scorer for Pagrati BC. But papa never worked with Emma Stone!

Yorgos appeared in three games during the 1991-92 season, and it’s unclear whether he averaged seven points and five rebounds per game, or if those were his total stats. If anyone can help translate this post from basketa.gr—which includes a photo of an actual box score!—please give us a shout.

Another humorous element of this story, as pointed out by FanSided, is that Lanthimos played in a higher division of the Greek league than Giannis Antetokounmpo, who became one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Antetokounmpo (also a teenager at the time) only made it to the second-highest tier of the Greek league before signing with a team in Spain, who he never ended up playing for because the Bucks took him in the first round of the 2013 draft. Lanthimos, meanwhile, was on the main stage. Of course, Antetokounmpo could have easily played—and likely dominated—the top division had he stuck around. Nevertheless, it remains very funny that a guy known for making wackadoo movies made it further in the Greek basketball circuit than a literal NBA champion and two-time MVP.

The Greek men’s team hasn’t clinched a spot at the 2024 Olympics yet, but they can get there if they win their qualifying tournament in July. With the Greek Freak—the basketball player, not The Lobster guy—mincing no words about his desire to be on the team, they’ve got a pretty solid ace in the hole. Here's hoping they do earn a bid to Paris. We’ve got an idea about who can make the documentary.

Originally Appeared on GQ