MUNICH (Germany) - Legendary Greek basketball coach Giannis Ioannidis has sadly passed away at the age of 78, it was confirmed.

Ioannidis spent almost two decades playing for Aris before going on to lead the club to eight league titles in Greece from 1979-1990.

The club won six consecutive Championships with Ioannidis at the helm before the playcaller made the switch to Olympiacos, where he would win four more league titles in the first of two spells at the club.

During his coaching career, Ioannidis made it to the European Final Fours on six occasions - with three different Greek clubs - including Final appearances in 1994 and 1995 with Olympiacos and 1998 with AEK.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis paid his tribute: "Coach Ioannidis was a leader who could inspire the biggest basketball stars to work alongside each other for the benefit of the team. He broke win-records with different clubs and different styles of basketball, in a career spanning more than 20 years.

"His strong personality and commitment to basketball were such, that it is impossible to refer to the history of the European Final Fours without including him, even if he did not win one. Above all, he proved that Greece was able produce world-level coaches and prepared the ground for many to follow his example."

Ioannidis was also the head coach of Greece at FIBA EuroBasket 2003 and was inducted into the Greek Basketball League Hall of Fame last year.

FIBA