Lefteris Mantzoukas is leaving Greece to join Oklahoma State for the 2025–26 NCAA season. The Greek national team forward joins via NIL rights, pausing his Panathinaikos contract after a strong season on loan at Maroussi.
Lefteris Mantzoukas is officially taking his talents to the United States.
The 21-year-old Greek forward has signed with Oklahoma State University and will compete in NCAA Division I for the 2025–26 season. The Cowboys, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, announced his addition as the 13th scholarship player on their roster.
A product of Ioannina and a Panathinaikos AKTOR player since 2020, Mantzoukas spent the 2024–25 season on loan at Maroussi, helping the club retain its place in Greece’s top-tier Stoiximan Basket League.
In 24 games, he averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 25.2 minutes per game, while shooting 41% from three (22-for-54). He logged two double-doubles—one against Panathinaikos (15 points, 11 rebounds) and another against Olympiacos (13 points, 10 rebounds).
Mantzoukas brings both youth and experience. He turned pro at just 14 with Promitheas Patras and moved to Panathinaikos at 17. He played in 53 EuroLeague games in the competition across four seasons (2021–2024), averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds while hitting 45% of his threes (28-for-62). During Panathinaikos’ title run, he appeared in 14 games, going 8-for-12 (67%) from beyond the arc.
Domestically, Mantzoukas is a two-time Greek League champion, Greek Cup winner, and two-time Greek Super Cup champion. He was named the Greek League’s Most Improved Player and Best Young Player in 2023.
Internationally, he has represented Greece at every youth level and debuted with the senior national team in EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers. At the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship, he averaged 16.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Across three U20 tournaments, he’s averaged 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds over 21 total games.
While his Panathinaikos contract will be frozen for the year, Mantzoukas’ move to college basketball is also financially strategic: he will benefit from the NCAA’s NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) framework, potentially earning more than his salary in Greece would have provided.
He joins a globally flavored Oklahoma State roster that includes Serbian forward Andrija Vukovic, Iranian wing Parsa Fallah, and Nigerian big man Ben Ahmed.
