ATHENS (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Greece captain Nikos Zisis stayed true to form and prioritised the national team over himself even on Tuesday as he announced the toughest decision of his sporting career, by retiring from international duty.

Zisis, who turns 33 in August, played for Greece during 17 consecutive summers, a record among contemporary European players.

"Competing for Hellas is a sentiment which words cannot describe, we inherited it from previous generations and kept it sacred and safe on the floor and in our hearts," the veteran point guard said in a statement issued through the Greek Federation (EOK).

"What will fill me with even greater pride is to find out that my generation managed to pass the torch of the sense of pride, honour and responsibility to the next generation on the national team.

All good things, at some point, come to an end and there is a time in everybody's life when we must take a difficult decision. - Zisis

"My utmost joy will be to see how kids, who started playing basketball after watching us on TV or up close, surpass us and embellish the already rich tradition and history of our beloved squad."

Zisis first pulled on the national team jersey at the 1999 European Championship for Cadets and propelled Greece to the silver medal.

He made his senior national team debut in November 2001, when he was just 18, in a game against Romania for the FIBA EuroBasket 2003 Qualifiers. The following summer he led Greece to the top of the podium at the European Championship for Young Men.

His first major tournament was the 2004 Athens Olympics and, despite coinciding during large part of his career with a legendary trio of guards in Theo Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis and Vassilis Spanoulis, Zisis went on to become a centerpiece of every Greek side since.

The Brose Baskets Bamberg point guard helped Greece earn gold at FIBA EuroBasket 2005, silver at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 and bronze at FIBA EuroBasket 2009.

In the 2005 Semi-Final against France in Belgrade, Greece came back from a seven point-deficit in the final minute and Zisis dished an assist to Diamantidis that buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Greeks to a 67-66 win.

The following year in Japan, it was Zisis who hit the dagger trey almost at the buzzer for Greece to complete a 72-69 come-from-behind victory over Australia. He then picked up an injury in the game against Brazil and was sidelined for the remainder of the tournament, but that win was pivotal en route to Hellas's memorable run which culminated in a historic Semi-Final win over USA.

"All good things, at some point, come to an end and there is a time in everybody's life when we must take a difficult decision," he said.

"Every summer started out with impatience and dreams for the international competition ahead, a feeling which failed to fade no matter how many years went by.

"Within the national team I experienced both the greatest joys and disappointments of my career. It is the team I have loved more than any other.

"I would like to thank the Hellenic Federation, my coaches, each and every one I got to collaborate with but above all I would like to thank all the teammates alongside whom I played over the years."

To teammates, coaches and media, the only features of Zisis that stood out even above his calm and composed presence on the court were his unparalleled ethos and sportsmanship.

"Nikos was the ideal team-mate, when you played alongside him you knew he would always have your back," Papaloukas said. "It's not by accident that all the coaches he's ever worked with have trusted him enormously.

"Apart from being a great player he is also a great person, he has a wonderful family, he is just a fantastic guy."

Zisis's retirement from international duty follows that of Spanoulis at the end of FIBA EuroBasket 2015 last September and leaves Yannis Bourousis as the last representative of the 2005 golden generation.

Bourousis, who was named Spanish Liga Endesa regular season MVP on Monday, is expected to lead the Greek national team in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin.

FIBA