The news didn't exactly come as a shock, but it did put an official end to the hopes of many a Greek national team fan.
Greece Head Coach Ilias Zouros announced his 16-strong preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2011 on late Friday evening and the name of Dimitris Diamantidis was not on it.
There was widespread expectation in the country hat the Euroleague Final Four MVP would be on that plane to Lithuania this August, despite having hinted to the contrary on a serious of occasions in the last two months.
"At my age, I need to take better care of my body, and summer rest is becoming more and more important in the recuperation process," Diamantidis had stated in a common interview with Theo Papaloukas on a weekly magazine during the recent Greek league play-off finals.