Panathinaikos B.C. ( el, ΚΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός), also known simply as Panathinaikos, is the professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team of the major
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
-based multi-
sport club Panathinaikos A.O. It is owned by the billionaire
Giannakopoulos family.
The parent athletic club was founded in 1908, while the basketball team was created in 1919, being one of the oldest in Greece. Alongside
Aris, they are the only un-relegated teams with participation in every
Greek First Division Championship until today.
Panathinaikos has developed into
the most successful basketball club in Greek basketball's history, and
one of the most successful in European basketball, creating its own
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
. They have won six
EuroLeague Championships, thirty-nine
Greek Basket League Championships, twenty
Greek Cups, one
Intercontinental Cup, one
Greek Super Cup
The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek association football one-match competition which w ...
and two
Triple Crowns. They also hold the record for most consecutive Greek League titles, as they are the only team to have won
nine consecutive championships (2003–2011), as well as for the most consecutive
Greek Basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup ( Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual pro basketball national cup competition in Greece. It is organized by the Hell ...
titles, winning six from 2012 to 2017. Panathinaikos counts one more championship that took place in 1921 and was organized by the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
. It is however not recognized by the
Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association, as it was before the creation of the
Hellenic Basketball Federation
The Hellenic Basketball Federation ( el, Ελληνική Ομοσπονδία Καλαθοσφαίρισης, abbreviated as Ε.Ο.Κ.) is the main basketball governing body for the sport in Greece. It directs and oversees all of the national b ...
. The team plays its home games in the
O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall
The O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall (honorarily named ''Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall'' since 2016), which is a part of the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (O.A.C.A.) « Spyros Louis» ( el, O.A.K.A. «Σπύρος Λούης»), was completed ...
, which has a maximum capacity of 19,250 for basketball games. Panathinaikos also holds the world record for the longest title-winning streak, spanning 27 seasons, starting in 1995-96 and continuing up until today. These last 27 years, Panathinaikos have won at least one title each season and 43 titles overall.
Among the numerous well-known top class players who have played with the club over the years are
Dominique Wilkins,
Fragiskos Alvertis,
Byron Scott,
Nick Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
,
John Salley,
Dimitris Diamantidis,
Antonio Davis,
Stojko Vranković,
Dino Rađja,
Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
,
Dejan Bodiroga,
Oded Kattash,
Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas (, born September 10, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a listed height of 6'6" (1.98 m) tall,
he could play at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His indi ...
,
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. As a player, he was primarily a poin ...
,
Fanis Christodoulou
Theofanis "Fanis" Christodoulou ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Χριστοδούλου; born May 22, 1965) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played mainly at small forward, but his complete all-around skills allowed him t ...
,
Alexander Volkov,
Marcelo Nicola,
Hugo Sconochini,
Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
,
Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis (alternate spelling: Antonios, Greek: Αντώνης Φώτσης; born April 1 or 2, 1981) is a Greek professional basketball player for Ilysiakos. He was also the captain of the Greece men's national basketball team. He is a ...
,
İbrahim Kutluay
İbrahim Kutluay (born January 7, 1974) is a former Turkish professional basketball player who has been a manager and pundit since his retirement. He played the shooting guard position, and in his prime, was one of the most prolific 3-point sho ...
,
John Amaechi
John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi , OBE (; born 26 November 1970) is a British-American psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Vanderbilt and Penn State, and professional basketball in the ...
,
Nikola Peković,
Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovič (born 9 July 1978) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB, as well as an assistant coach of the Slovenia national team.
Standing at , ...
,
Pepe Sánchez,
Kostas Tsartsaris
Konstantinos "Kostas" Tsartsaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Τσαρτσαρής; born October 17, 1979 in Veria, Greece), is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach, who spent most of his playing career with th ...
,
Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
,
Nick Calathes,
Vassilis Spanoulis,
Dejan Tomašević
Dejan Tomašević ( sr, Дејан Томашевић; born 6 May 1973) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player.
An All-EuroLeague Team selection on two occasions, he played with Borac Čačak, Crvena zvezda, Partizan, ...
,
Byron Dinkins
Byron Stewart Dinkins (born June 15, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball player who played two seasons in the NBA, from 1989 to 1991. He played college basketball for UNC Charlotte. After his stint in the NBA Dinkins pursued a pro ...
,
Ferdinando Gentile
Ferdinando Gentile, commonly known as Nando Gentile (born 1 January 1967), is an Italian former professional basketball player and coach. Playing as a point guard, Gentile had a successful pro club playing career, amassing a slew of team trophies ...
,
Sani Bečirovič,
Darryl Middleton,
Lazaros Papadopoulos
Lazaros Papadopoulos (Greek: Λάζαρος Παπαδόπουλος; born 3 June 1980) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He was listed at 7 ft (2.13 m) 265 lbs (120 kg), and he played the center position. During hi ...
,
Žarko Paspalj
Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
,
Nikos Chatzivrettas,
Dimos Dikoudis,
Tiit Sokk,
Sofoklis Schortsanitis,
Jason Kapono,
Arijan Komazec,
Edgar Jones,
Romain Sato
Romain Guessagba-Sato-Lebel (; born March 2, 1981), generally known as Romain Sato, is a former Central African professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 1.96 m (6' 5"), he played as a swingman.
High school
Sato attended Dayton Chris ...
,
Johnny Rogers
John Bernard Rogers Bakker (born December 30, 1963) is a Spanish-American former professional basketball player. Rogers played college basketball at Stanford University and at the University of California, Irvine. Listed at a height of 6'10" and ...
,
Tony Delk
Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...
,
Drew Nicholas
Andrew Lawrence Nicholas (born May 17, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Nicholas was the leading scorer in the EuroLeague 2005–06 season, being awarded the Alphonso Ford Trophy. He is a two-time E ...
,
Stéphane Lasme,
Roko Ukić
Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...
,
Robertas Javtokas
Robertas Javtokas (born March 20, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player. He most recently served as sports director of Žalgiris Kaunas. Standing at , he played the center position. He has been a member of the ...
,
Jonas Mačiulis
Jonas Mačiulis (born 10 February 1985) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he mainly plays at the small forward position. As a member of the senior Lithuanian national team, he earned an All-EuroBasket Team sel ...
,
Ioannis Bourousis,
James Gist,
Keith Langford
Andre Keith Langford (born September 15, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who last played for AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League. Standing at 6' 4" (1.93 m), he primarily plays at the shooting guard position. He played colle ...
and
Jimmer Fredette
James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette (born February 25, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in colle ...
. Such players, the successful management of former long-time presidents
Pavlos Giannakopoulos and
Thanasis Giannakopoulos, as well as the long-time guidance of the most successful coach in EuroLeague history,
Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
, turned Panathinaikos into the most successful team in Europe over the last two-and-a-half decades.
Panathinaikos is the only team on the European continent to win as many as six
EuroLeague titles (
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
), since the establishment of the modern era
EuroLeague Final Four format in
1988 (no other club has won more than four EuroLeague championships in this period). They were also
EuroLeague runners-up in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
. They reached the EuroLeague Final Four eleven times altogether (
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
,
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
).
History
Basketball in Greece (1918–1945)
Panathinaikos started as a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
club in 1908. In 1919,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
was still unknown in Greece. During that period
Giorgos Kalafatis
Giorgos Kalafatis ( el, Γιώργος Καλαφάτης; 17 March 1890 – 19 February 1964) was a Greek football pioneer, player, coach, track and field athlete and the founder of Panathinaikos Athens multi-sports club.
Sports career
Bein ...
with other athletes participated in the
Inter-Allied Games in Paris and attended basketball games between the
Allies of World War I
The Allies of World War I, Entente Powers, or Allied Powers were a coalition of countries led by France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ott ...
. When he later returned to Greece with the necessary equipment, he set up the Panathinaikos basketball club, led by
Apostolos Nikolaidis.
In 1919, PAO played their first match against
X.A.N. Thessaloniki (YMCA), another club also pioneer of basketball in Greece, a match which took place at the
Panathenaic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium ( el, Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, Panathinaïkó Stádio, ), as spelled by Philostratus. or ''Kallimarmaro'' (Καλλιμάρμαρο, , lit. "beautiful marble") is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. ...
.
In 1937, Kalafatis managed to create a new Panathinaikos team that, during the following year, tried to catch up with already established clubs like the YMCA,
Ethnikos G.S. Athens,
Panionios
Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'' ...
,
Aris and
Iraklis.
Angelos Fillipou,
Nikos Mantzaroglou, Litsas and Dimitrakos were the ringleaders of the group and were later joined by
Telis Karagiorgos,
Thymios Karadimos,
Giorgos Bofilios,
Philipos Papaikonomou,
Petros Polycratis and
Nikos Polycratis. During the
German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...
that followed,
Dimitris Giannatos (founding member of the basketball team) was executed by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
for his
resistance action.
Postwar history (1946–1970)
In 1946 (the first post-war championship) and 1947, Panathinaikos emerged champions, with the help of players like
Ioannis Lambrou,
Missas Pantazopoulos
Michailis "Missas" Pantazopoulos (alternate spelling: Misas) (Greek: Μιχάλης "Μίσσας" Πανταζόπουλος; 1924 – 25 April 2006) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach.
Playing career Club career
During his cl ...
,
Stelios Arvanitis (these players would later go on to win the bronze medal in
EuroBasket 1949) and
Jack Nicolaidis (nephew of
Apostolos Nikolaidis).
In 1950 and 1951, Panathinaikos emerged as champions once again with the help of great athletes
Faidon Matthaiou
Faidon Matthaiou, also spelled Fedon Mattheou and Phaedon Mathaiou ( el, Φαίδων Ματθαίου) (12 July 1924 – 17 September 2011) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach. He was a center at the start of his career, and a ...
(considered the ''Patriarch'' of Greek basketball) and
Nikos Milas
Nikolaos "Nikos" Milas ( el, Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Μήλας; 9 July 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Greek basketball player and coach. He was born in Athens.
Playing career Club career
Milas was a skilled technical player, with good dribbl ...
. In 1954, the club would repeat the success, however the next five years would prove fruitless, and the club, despite its strength, would have to be renewed.
In 1961, Panathinaikos won the Greek League championship with new leaders
Georgios Vassilakopoulos,
Stelios Tavoularis and
Petros Panagiotarakos. In 1962, Panathinaikos made the repeat, and was again the Greek League champion. That was also the year that PAO took part for the first time in a European-wide competition, as they faced
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...
in the
FIBA European Champions Cup 1961–62 season.
On 23 November 1963, Panathinaikos beat
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
, by a score of 90–48, in the Mantellos Cup, a tournament that was later replaced by the Greek Cup, which made its first appearance in 1976.
In 1967, Panathinaikos were crowned Greek League champions, with
Giorgos Kolokithas (one of the greatest basketball players of his era) in their ranks. In 1969, the conquest of the Greek League championship was followed by the first European success of the club, the qualification to the semifinals of the
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...
1968–69 season, where they were eliminated by
Dinamo Tbilisi
Dinamo Tbilisi is a sports club from Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1925.
Among its highest honors, is the European trophy earned by its football team which won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2� ...
. The next year, 1970, PAO was the first Greek basketball team to use a foreign player (
Craig Greenwood) in a European game.
The Golden Age (1970–1984)
During these golden years, Panathinaikos won 10 out of 14 Greek League championships, with their great leader and scorer
Apostolos Kontos
Apostolos Kontos (Greek: Απόστολος Κόντος) (born on November 22, 1947) is a Greek former professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the great players in Panathinaikos Athens history, and is the club's a ...
.
During this period,
Kostas Mourouzis, nicknamed ''the fox of coaching'', managed the ''team of the 4-K'' (the young
Kontos,
Koroneos,
Kokolakis and
Kefalos Kefalos (Κέφαλος) is the westernmost town on the Greek island of Kos, 43 km from Kos Town. It is situated on a peninsula, also known as Kefalos, at the south-west side of the island. The town is built on a stone height, dominated by t ...
). These players, along with
Iordanidis, who functioned as a link with older players, won 5 consecutive Greek League championships, and made the greatest accomplishment of their time by participating in the semifinals of the
FIBA European Champions Cup 1971–72 season, when they were aided by American
Willy Kirkland. Unfortunately,
Ignis Varese
Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA.
For past club spo ...
, one of the giants of the era, proved an insurmountable obstacle for Panathinaikos.
Over the next 4 seasons, Panathinaikos captured the Greek League championship once, in 1977, and also won their first
Greek Cup in 1979. They acquired
Memos Ioannou
Agamemnon "Memos" Ioannou ( el, Αγαμέμνων "Μέμος" Ιωάννου; born April 15th, 1958 in Greece) is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. At 6'2¾" (1.90 m), he played at the point guard and shooting guard pos ...
in 1974, and Greek-American
David Stergakos in 1979 (a player that would contribute greatly to the team in the coming years).
In the five years that followed, Panathinaikos won 4 Greek League championships (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984) and two Greek Cups (1982, 1983). More specifically, in 1982, while coached by
Kostas Politis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Politis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Πολίτης; 21 March 1942 – 18 June 2018) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach.
Career as a player
Club career
Politis played with Panathinaikos ...
, Panathinaikos succeeded in winning their first Greek double, as well as placing 6th in the FIBA European Champions Cup
1981–82 season. During that season's group stage, Panathinaikos finished ahead of a strong
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
team, after winning in the last seconds of a thriller game. The club's last Greek League championship, before the club's decline that followed, was in 1984, when Panathinaikos won the big game title in
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
, which
Liveris Andritsos and
Tom Kappos starring for the team.
Panathinaikos had a great chance to avoid their upcoming decline, when they discovered
Rony Seikaly
Rony is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ronielson da Silva Barbosa, Brazilian footballer better known as Rony
* Rony Ahonen (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey defenceman
*Rony Bakale (born 1987), Olympic swimmer from the Repub ...
, but Greek government bureaucratic problems prevented him from playing in the
Greek League as a Greek citizen, despite claims that he was entitled to do so, which ultimately forced him to move to the United States to play
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
* Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
* Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
** North Syracuse, New York
* Syracuse, Indiana
*Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, M ...
.
The decline of 1985–1992
In 1985, PAO finished in 3rd place in the Greek League.
Stergakos,
Ioannou Ioannou or Joannou () is a Greek surname, derived from the given name John ().
Notable people with surname Ioannou or Joannou:
People Ioannou
* Demetris Ioannou (born 1968), Cypriot footballer
* Dimitrios Ioannou (1861-1926), Greek general
* Dim ...
,
Vidas,
Andritsos and
Koroneos – who left the following year – were the key players. The balance of the Greek League's power however, had tilted in favour of
Aris, and Panathinaikos ceased to be the leader of the league, and were limited to a secondary role. Nevertheless, they remained a worthy adversary. Thus, in 1986, against all odds, they managed to eliminate powerful Aris from the
Greek Cup at the semifinal stage. Then Panathinakos went on to beat
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
in the final, and conquered what would be their last title until 1993. During the next 2 seasons, PAO would finish in 5th place In the Greek League (their worst results in many years).
In 1988, the ban on using foreign players in the Greek League was lifted, and Panathinaikos was able to acquire
Edgar Jones, from the
NBA. He was a capable shooter, scorer and rebounder, and for the next 2 years, he was the star of the team. Although PAO achieved significant wins over the other major Greek teams, they did not manage any notable distinctions. Over the next two years,
Antonio Davis, who later made a great career in the NBA, replaced
Jones, as the leader of the team. At this point in time, Panathinaikos had also acquired some of the most talented young Greek players (
Fragiskos Alvertis,
Nikos Oikonomou and
Christos Myriounis), but that did not stop them from experiencing the worst period in the history of the club, as they finished 7th in the Greek League in 1991, and dropped to the 8th position in 1992, which left them outside of European-wide play for the first time since 1967.
Return to distinction (1992–1995)
In 1992, the club's basketball department became
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
, under the management of the Giannakopoulos family. In the summer of 1992, Panathinaikos attempted a full reconstruction of the team.
Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
, the top Greek basketball player, was acquired by the club, and was flanked by star players
Stojko Vranković,
Tiit Sokk, and
Arijan Komazec. Thus, Galis lead PAO to a
Greek Cup win and also to the
Greek League championship finals, where they lost despite having home court advantage. In the next season, 1993–94, Galis, along with
Sasha Volkov
Alexander Anatolevich Volkov (, russian: Александр Анатольевич Волков; born 29 March 1964), commonly known as Sasha Volkov, is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian professional basketball player. He was born in Omsk, RSFSR, S ...
and Stojko Vranković, led Panathinaikos to a 3rd-place finish at the
1994 FIBA European League Final Four, which was the highest finish in the club's history. Although they did not manage to win the title.
The 1994–95 season started with the best conditions, as the club acquired
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. As a player, he was primarily a poin ...
and
Žarko Paspalj
Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
. PAO was again the favourite for all domestic titles. The club started by eliminating
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
from the Greek Cup in a very tough game, before the start of the Greek League championship. However, after the first games of the Greek League,
Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
, the player that had led PAO in the Greek Cup game against Olympiacos, and also in the decisive game of the
FIBA European League's
1994–95 season qualifiers, ended his professional basketball playing career. As a consequence, the team, despite playing some great games, only managed to retain
the 3rd-place finish in Europe, and make the Greek League finals.
European, Intercontinental and Greek Champions (1996–1999)
During the years 1996–98, Panathinaikos fulfilled all of their objectives by winning the
FIBA European League championship, the
FIBA Intercontinental Cup and the
Greek League championship (in that order).
In 1996, the expectations of the team had risen a lot, as it was imperative for Panathinaikos to obtain a significant title. In the summer of 1995, they acquired the nine-time
NBA All-Star,
Dominique Wilkins, one of the top American players that ever played in Europe. The head coach of the team was
Božidar Maljković
Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.
He is one of the most successful bas ...
. The former, along with
Giannakis,
Vranković,
Alvertis, and
Patavoukas, comprised a very experienced team, which, in 1996, managed an unprecedented success for Greek basketball. Indeed, in April 1996, at
the Paris Final Four, Panathinaikos became the first Greek team to lift the FIBA European League championship (now called the
EuroLeague), by beating
Banca Catalana FC Barcelona in the
tournament's final, by a score of 67–66. Back in Greece, right after the big win in Paris, Panathinaikos was not able to clinch the Greek League title, after again losing the title to
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
.
In the next season, Maljković removed all the stars from the roster, in an attempt to assemble a squad based on teamwork. With the start of the season, Panathinaikos was crowned
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion, by prevailing by 2–1 wins in a 3-game series over
Olimpia of
Venado Tuerto, the
South American League champions. Unfortunately, the restructuring of the team failed, and Panathinaikos failed to participate in the
1997 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four
The 1997 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four was the 1996–97 season's FIBA EuroLeague Final Four tournament, organized by FIBA Europe.
Olympiacos won its first title, after defeating FC Barcelona Banca Catalana.
Bracket
Semifinals
Smelt Ol ...
, in order to defend their European title. Moreover, they finished in 5th place in the Greek League championship, thus losing the right to participate in next season's EuroLeague.
In the next season,
Slobodan Subotić assumed head coaching leadership of the club, and convinced
Dino Rađja to come to Panathinaikos. The huge transfer of Radja was accompanied by three-time NBA champion
Byron Scott and
Fanis Christodoulou
Theofanis "Fanis" Christodoulou ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Χριστοδούλου; born May 22, 1965) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played mainly at small forward, but his complete all-around skills allowed him t ...
, and with the help of
Alvertis,
Oikonomou, and
Koch
Koch may refer to:
People
* Koch (surname), people with this surname
* Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India
* Koch family
* Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east I ...
, Panathinaikos finally won the Greek League again, after 14 years.
In the summer of 1998 Panathinaikos chairman
Pavlos Giannakopoulos began assembling a team to conquer Europe. In order to achieve that, he signed the
1998 FIBA World Cup MVP,
Dejan Bodiroga, while
Nando Gentile
Ferdinando Gentile, commonly known as Nando Gentile (born 1 January 1967), is an Italian former professional basketball player and coach. Playing as a point guard, Gentile had a successful pro club playing career, amassing a slew of team trophies ...
,
Pat Burke
Patrick John Burke (born December 14, 1973) is an Irish former professional basketball player. Burke (whose family moved from Tullamore, Ireland, to Cleveland, Ohio, when he was three years old) competed in the National Basketball Association ( ...
and
Nikos Boudouris
Nikolaos "Nikos" Boudouris (alternate spellings: Bountouris, Mpoudouris, Mpountouris) ( el, Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Μπουντούρης; born 25 September 1971 in Volos, Greece) is a retired Greek professional basketball player.
Early ca ...
also joined the team. The 1998–99 season proved very important for Panathinaikos, as Olympiacos, who had gained home court advantage in the Greek League playoffs, were prepared to return to the top. It was at the last game of the Greek League finals, when Panathinaikos achieved one of the most decisive away victories against their rivals, capturing the title.
Obradović era (1999–2012)
The arrival of
Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
to Panathinaikos, during summer 1999, marked the beginning of an extraordinary period for the club, with many major successes, and the establishment of the team as one of the strongest in the history of European club basketball.
The first thing that Obradović did, was to adapt the team to
Dejan Bodiroga, who was the absolute leader of Panathinaikos. As a result of the success of his strategy, PAO managed to capture 2
EuroLeague titles (
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,) after 3 consecutive
EuroLeague Finals appearances (2000–2002), and also won 3 consecutive Greek League championships (1999–2001). In 2000, at the
Thessaloniki EuroLeague Final Four, Panathinaikos became EuroLeague champions for the second time, after beating
Macabbi Elite Tel Aviv, 73–67, in the final. In 2002, in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...
, at the
2002 EuroLeague Final Four, Panathinaikos won the most prestigious European trophy for the third time, after beating hosts
Kinder Bologna, by the score of 89–83, in the final.
Nevertheless, in this period they failed to win the Greek Cup, even though they played in two Greek Cup finals.
Rebrača,
Gentile
Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...
,
Middleton,
Alvertis,
Kattash,
Kutluay, and
Fotsis were some of the team's players who excelled during these years. The dominance in the Greek League was finally interrupted in 2002, the year that PAO won their 3rd EuroLeague championship. Also, at the end of the year, there were many significant changes in the team, starting with the withdrawal of Bodiroga, making a renewal of the team's roster an imperative.
2002–03 was the year that Obradović used to restructure Panathinaikos, and return them to the top of Greece. He emphatically achieved this objective by leading the team to 9 straight Greek League championships (2003–11), with 6 doubles in Greece, and 2
triple crowns (i.e. Greek double plus EuroLeague champions) in the following years, thus creating a
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
. Panathinaikos had radically changed the style of their game, after replacing Bodiroga. The game contribution of the Serbian player was replaced by an unprecedented model of teamwork, that proved that a superstar was unnecessary. Players such as
Lakovič,
Alvertis,
Diamantidis,
Fotsis,
Tsartsaris,
Batiste
Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often ...
, and later
Spanoulis,
Šiškauskas, and
Jasikevičius, who played not for themselves, but for the maximum success of the team, led to the transformation of PAO, into a title-winning machine, that was not hampered by irreplaceable players, and this quality was widely recognized.
At the
2007 EuroLeague Final Four, which was held on their home court of
OAKA
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis ( el, Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') or OACA ()), is a sport facilities co ...
, in Athens, Panathinaikos became EuroLeague champions for the fourth time, after beating the defending champions at the time,
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
, by a score of 93–91 in the final.
The same teams (PAO and CSKA), competed in the final of the
2009 EuroLeague Final Four
The 2009 Euroleague Final Four was the concluding Euroleague Final Four tournament of the 2008–09 Euroleague season. It was held on May, 2009. All of the games were held at the O2 World, in Berlin Germany. Panathinaikos won the title, which ...
in Berlin, where Panathinaikos won the trophy again, for the fifth time in their history. The score was 73–71. On 14 December 2009, Panathinaikos was voted the top Greek sports team of 2009, by the Greek Sports Journalists Association, with 1,291 votes. In addition, head coach Želimir Obradović, was voted the top coach, with 1,399 votes.
At the
2011 EuroLeague Final Four in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Panathinaikos, after a great performance by
Calathes in the semifinal against
Montepaschi Siena
Mens Sana 1871 Basket is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871.
Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from sponsor Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, t ...
(17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), won 77–69, and reached the EuroLeague Final against
Maccabi Tel Aviv. In the final, the "Great Club" won its sixth EuroLeague title, by holding off Maccabi, by a score of 78–70.
Post-Obradović period (2012–2018)
After the departure of
Obradović, Panathinaikos' new head coach,
Argiris Pedoulakis, was forced to make massive changes to the team, with 12 new players being added to the roster, including
James Gist,
Roko Ukić
Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...
, and
NBA players
Jason Kapono and
Marcus Banks. Team
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Dimitris Diamantidis and
Kostas Tsartsaris
Konstantinos "Kostas" Tsartsaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Τσαρτσαρής; born October 17, 1979 in Veria, Greece), is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach, who spent most of his playing career with th ...
led the rebuilding effort for the Greens, who reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals, only to fall to
FC Barcelona Regal in a 5-game series. Panathinaikos won their 14th
Greek Cup, by beating
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
in the final, with a three-point difference (81-78). During the same year, Panathinaikos was able to ''break'' Olympiacos' home court twice in the Greek League Finals, thus conquering the Greek League championship for the 33rd time in the club's history.
Since
Dimitris Giannakopoulos first became the chairman of Panathinaikos, he repeatedly attempted to secure marketing deals with Asian corporations. The first step was made when Panathinaikos announced that they had signed Chinese basketball player
Shang Ping
Shang Ping ( (pronounced Shung); born December 23, 1984), also known as Eric Shang, is a Chinese professional basketball player who most recently played for the Tianjin Gold Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. He is a 2.06 m (6'9") ta ...
. This deal made Panathinaikos the first European club to have a Chinese player on its roster. On 12 September 2013, Panathinaikos landed at the airport of
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
, becoming the first European team to make a trip to China via airline. On 13 September 2013, Panathinaikos wrote European history once again, in less than two days, becoming the first European team to ever face a
Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team. In addition, Panathinaikos became the first European team to win against a Chinese team, the
Foshan Dralions
The Guangzhou Loong Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. They play in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
History
The team was founded in November 2000 as Shaanxi Gait ...
, with a score of 66–67.
On 8 March 2014, due to the fans' dissatisfaction with the team's bad record in the
EuroLeague, the replacement of the team's head coach,
Argiris Pedoulakis, was announced. It was also announced that the team would go to the Greek League Finals under the guidance of the club's legend,
Fragiskos Alvertis, who would serve as an interim caretaker coach. After the conquest of another Greek double by beating Olympiacos, Panathinaikos announced the recruitment of
Duško Ivanović, to be their new head coach.
On 5 April 2015, Panathinaikos beat
Apollon Patras
:''The first version of this article has been based in the text of :el:Α.Σ. Απόλλων of the Greek Wikipedia published under the GFDL.''
A.S. Apollon Patras (Greek:''A.Σ. Απόλλων Πατρών'') is a multi-sports club that is bas ...
, in the final of the
Greek Cup, with a score of 53–68. Earlier in the cup competition, the team had to overcome the obstacles of
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
and
PAOK. Panathinaikos made the EuroLeague playoffs. In Greek League, Panathinaikos lost to Olympiacos in the finals, 0–3.
On 30 June 2015,
Sasha Đjorđjević was announced by the team, as the club's new head coach. Panathinaikos was able to sign Greek
point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by ...
Nick Calathes, and Serbian
center Miroslav Raduljica
Miroslav Raduljica ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Радуљица, born January 5, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Crvena zvezda, Crvena zvezda of the ABA League, Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Ser ...
. The debut of the team was dreamy, as on 8 October 2015, Panathinaikos beat and eliminated
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
, in an away match for the
Greek Basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup ( Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual pro basketball national cup competition in Greece. It is organized by the Hell ...
, by a score of 64–70. On 6 March 2016, Panathinaikos won the Greek Cup for the 17th time in the club's history, and for the 5th straight season, with a record score of 101–52 against the
Greek 2nd Division club,
Faros Keratsiniou.
On 19 April 2016,
Sasha Đjorđjević was replaced by
Argyris Pedoulakis
Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...
, who once again took over the team's head coaching position. Despite that, the team lost against
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
in the finals of the Greek League, with a 1–3 series loss.
With the retirement of
Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos turned over to a new page in the club's history. This led the team to increase its budget, and to obtain players such as
Mike James,
K.C. Rivers
Kelvin Creswell Rivers (born March 1, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for BC Samara of the VTB United League. Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
High school career
Rivers attended high sc ...
,
Chris Singleton, and
Ioannis Bourousis. Many sponsorship deals were also achieved at the same time, as well as the deal that made
OPAP, Greece's biggest betting firm, the team's main sponsor. The appointment of
Xavi Pascual as the team's head coach for three years, started a new era for the club.
The next two seasons, 2016/17 and 2017/18, Panathinaikos with coach
Xavi Pascual managed to win two back-to-back
Greek Basket League Championships against Olympiacos, and the 2017
Greek Basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup ( Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual pro basketball national cup competition in Greece. It is organized by the Hell ...
against Aris. They also made it to the EuroLeague playoffs, where they faced each year's upcoming champions (Fenerbahce in 2017, and Real Madrid in 2018) and eliminated from the EuroLeague Final Four both times. In the fifth
Greek Basket League Championship final of 2017, Panathinaikos defeated Olympiacos in their home court, to win the Greek Championship after two years, winning the series with 3–2. The next year, Panathinaikos managed to be the only team in Europe to finish the regular season of their domestic championship undefeated. They remained undefeated until the finals, where they met Olympiacos again, and won the series once more with 3–2.
Despite the difficulties that followed
Obradović's departure and the changes in the team's roster and the team's finances, Panathinaikos is the only team in Europe that manages to win at least one title every season, for 27 consecutive seasons, since 1996.
Rick Pitino era (2018–2020)
After two and a half seasons, Panathinaikos parted ways with coach Xavi Pascual, on December 20, 2018. Pasqual paid the price for the teams' poor performance and losing streak in 2018/2019 EuroLeague.
Georgios Vovoras served as Panathinaikos' interim head coach for the second time in his career, as the club agreed with Hall-Of-Famer
Rick Pitino to be the team's new head coach, until the end of the 2018/2019 season. With coach
Pitino on the bench, Panathinaikos transformed into a different team and managed to make an impressive comeback to the EuroLeague, finishing in the sixth place and getting into the playoffs. There, they faced once again the champions, Real Madrid, and eliminated from the EuroLeague Final Four. The season ended with Panathinaikos winning both the
Greek Cup beating
PAOK in the Cup Final, and the
Greek Basket League Championship sweeping 3-0
Promitheas in the League Finals.
Panathinaikos made an offer to coach Pitino, and although he was willing to stay in Greece for the next season, a family matter occurred, so he had to return home. On June 24, 2019, Panathinaikos signed a two-year contract with Greek coach
Argyris Pedoulakis
Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...
once again, being the team's head coach for the third time in seven years. Pedoulakis's third stint ended on 15 November 2019, as Panathinaikos fired him once again, after team's poor performance on EuroLeague and elimination from the
Greek Cup.
Georgios Vovoras served as interim head coach for the third time.
On November 26, 2019,
Rick Pitino typically and officially returned to Panathinaikos, after overcoming the family matter that kept him away from the benches, signing a one-and-a-half year contract, becoming team's head coach until the summer of 2021.
However, on 20 March 2020, Panathinaikos and Pitino have agreed to end their cooperation, in the face of the
coronavirus pandemic that has forced the suspension of play in
EuroLeague and
Greek Basket League
The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...
. Rick Pitino returned to his family in USA, as he also agreed to be the new head coach of
Iona College. Once again,
Georgios Vovoras served as interim head coach, for the fourth time.
Giannakopoulos step down & new team management (2020–present)
In the summer of 2020, Panathinaikos went through major changes. On June 10, the owner of the team,
Dimitris Giannakopoulos, held a press conference where he announced that he won't longer be involved with Panathinaikos, and that the club is up for sale for a price of 25 million euros. As a result of this, a new -and unusual- era began for the Greens, meaning that the team had to be rebuilt and operated based on the balance sheet, and that players with huge contracts couldn't stay with the club at the time. Many players had to leave the team, including long-time club captain
Nick Calathes. Also long-time Panathinaikos member through different roles, Manos Papadopoulos, who was very close to the Giannakopoulos family for over 30 years, left the Greens to join
Zenit Saint Petersburg as the club's sports director.
On June 26, 2020, Panathinaikos announced that the club's sport management will be represented by the team's legends and former players
Dimitris Diamantidis and
Fragiskos Alvertis, alongside former CEO Takis Triantopoulos. Meanwhile,
George Vovoras was named head coach for the difficult upcoming season. After almost seven months, and due to the team's poor performance, Panathinaikos and coach Vovoras parted ways, on January 4, 2021.
Kostas Charalampidis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Charalampidis (alternate spellings: Constantinos, Costas, Haralampidis, Haralambidis, Haralabidis, Charalambides) (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Χαραλαμπίδης; born April 4, 1976) is a retired Greek ...
served as an interim coach for a few days, as of January 14, 2021, when Panathinaikos announced
Oded Kattash as the club's new head coach, on a one-and-a-half year agreement. With coach Kattash, Panathinaikos managed to win both
2020–21 Greek Basket League
The 2020–21 Greek Basket League, also known as the 2020–21 betshop.gr Greek Basket League for sponsorship reasons, is the 81st season of the Greek Basket League, the top-tier level professional club basketball league in Greece. The season be ...
and
2020–21 Greek Cup. However, on June 24, 2021, the team parted ways with him. Two days later, on June 26, 2021, Panathinaikos appointed
Dimitris Priftis as their new head coach, on a three-year deal. Priftis has been no stranger to the team, as he had served as an assistant coach in 2014, under then head coach
Fragiskos Alvertis.
On April 12, 2022, after a home defeat of a
Greek Basket League
The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...
regular season game against Olympiacos, in an unexpected turn of events, coach Priftis, general managers Diamantidis and Alvertis, and technical director Nikos Pappas were all fired by Panathinaikos, while president Panagiotis Triantopoulos resigned. Fragiskos Alvertis was given the option to stay in the club as team manager, but he declined the offer, leaving Panathinaikos for the first time in his life, after 32 long years with the club. Former Panathinaikos coach
Argyris Pedoulakis
Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...
was appointed immediately as the team's new technical director, having the responsibility for the team and the hiring of a new coach. On April 14, 2022, Panathinaikos announced the return of head coach
George Vovoras for the remainder of the season, having former
Lavrio B.C.
G.S. Lavrio B.C. ( Greek: Γ.Σ. Λαυρίου K.A.E.), commonly known as simply Lavrio B.C., and also known for sponsorship reasons as Lavrio Megabolt and Lavrio Aegean Cargo, is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Lavrio, Att ...
head coach for 17 seasons
Christos Serelis as an assistant. The reason for all those massive changes -according to the team's official press release- was the failure to "create a basic core of athletes and build a team for today and especially for tomorrow", as well as an economic failure, based on a balanced budget.
Players
Current roster
Depth chart
Retired numbers
Squad changes for the 2022–23 season
In
Out
Past rosters
Honours
Domestic competitions
*
Greek League
: Winners (39) (record): 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1997–98, 1998–99,
1999–00,
2000–01,
2002–03,
2003–04,
2004–05,
2005–06,
2006–07,
2007–08,
2008–09,
2009–10,
2010–11,
2012–13,
2013–14,
2016–17,
2017–18,
2018–19,
2019–20,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
: Runners-up (12): 1952–53, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96,
2011–12,
2014–15,
2015–16, 2021–22
*
Greek Cup
: Winners (20) (record): 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1985–86, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14,
2014–15,
2015–16,
2016–17,
2018–19,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
: Runners-up (6): 1984–85, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2021–22
*
Greek Super Cup
The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek association football one-match competition which w ...
: Winners (1) :
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
European competitions
*
EuroLeague
: Winners (6):
1995–96,
1999–00,
2001–02,
2006–07,
2008–09,
2010–11
: Runners-up (1):
2000–01
: Semifinalists (1):
1971–72
: 3rd place (3):
1993–94,
1994–95,
2004–05
: 4th place (1):
2011–12
: Final Four (11):
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
,
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
,
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
*
FIBA Saporta Cup
The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...
(defunct)
: Semifinalists (2):
1968–69,
1997–98
Worldwide competitions
*
FIBA Intercontinental Cup
: Winners (1):
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
Other competitions
*
FIBA International Christmas Tournament (defunct)
: Winners (1):
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
* Athens, Greece Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2007
* Valjevo, Serbia Tournament
: Winners (1): 2008
*
Gomelsky Cup
: Winners (1):
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
: Runners-up (4):
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
* Kruševac, Serbia Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2009
* Užice, Serbia Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2010
* Kragujevac, Serbia Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2010
* Novi Sad, Serbia Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2011
* Crete, Greece Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2015
* Dimitris Diamantidis Tournament
: Winners (1): 2016
* Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament
: Winners (1): 2018
* Portaria-Makrinitsa, Greece Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2018
* Vilnius, Lithuania Invitational Game
: Winners (1): 2020
Individual club awards
*
Double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* ...
: Winners (11) (record): 1981–82, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–2021
*
Triple Crown
: Winners (2): 2006–07, 2008–09
Crest and colours
The
trifolium
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The gen ...
is the emblem of the team; a symbol of harmony, unity, nature and good luck. The main colours of the team, since its foundation, are green and white (green for health and nature, such as
physiolatry, and white for
virtue
Virtue ( la, virtus) is morality, moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is Value (ethics), valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that sh ...
). Alternative colours also used include black,
lime, dark blue/purple uniforms, and elements of golden yellow.
Since 1992, the year in which the club's basketball department became
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
, Panathinaikos B.C. uses its own logo.
Sponsors and Manufacturers
Since 1982, Panathinaikos has a specific kit manufacturer and a kit sponsor. The following tables detail the shirt sponsors and kit suppliers by year:
Current sponsorships
*Great Shirt Sponsor:
Pame Stoixima
*Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer:
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...
*Official Sponsor:
Altion,
Protergia,
Cosmote
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS S.A. ( el, COSMOTE ΚΙΝΗΤΕΣ ΤΗΛΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΕΣ Α.Ε.) known as just Cosmote is the largest mobile network operator in Greece. The company is headquartered in Athens and is a fully owned subsidia ...
,
Avance Car Rental,
Coca-Cola 3E,
EZA,
Electroholic,
Aktina,
Viva
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* V ...
,
BP,
HEDNO,
Molto
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mu ...
,
Lenovo
Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related se ...
,
Nikas,
Nestle,
Matrix
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** '' The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchi ...
,
The Mall Athens
The Mall Athens is a shopping mall in Athens, Greece. It was the first of the kind to be constructed in Greece and one of the largest shopping and leisure centres in Southeastern Europe.
The Mall Athens is located close to the Athens Olympic S ...
,
Pizza Fun,
Indiba
*Official Broadcaster:
Cosmote TV
*Official Partner: Smartup, Direction Business Network, Leoforos.gr
*Official Health Care Service Provider: Hygeia Medical Center
Historical uniforms
Arena
Panathinaikos' long-time home court is the
O.A.K.A., which is the largest indoor venue in Greece. It is located in
Marousi
Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...
, and is a part of the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex. The venue was completed in 1995, and renovated for the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. It is considered to be one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe. The
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
for basketball games is 18,989,
however, the arena can hold up to a capacity of 20,000.
File:OAKA1010436.JPG, Internal view.
File:PAO TITLES 1010428.JPG, Flag and banners of Panathinaikos.
File:Olympiahalle Athen.jpg, Outside view.
File:Cosmote blimp 4.JPG, The blimp in the arena.
Supporters
The team, which is famous for its fans' passionate support, also set a record (broken in 2009), for the highest home game attendance in the history of the
EuroLeague, which was 20,000 fans, achieved at a home game in
OAKA
The Olympic Athletic Center of Athens Spiros Louis ( el, Ολυμπιακό Αθλητικό Κέντρο Αθηνών "Σπύρος Λούης", ''Olympiakó Athlitikó Kéntro Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') or OACA ()), is a sport facilities co ...
, against
Benetton Treviso, on 29 March 2006, during the second phase of the
2005–06 EuroLeague
The 2005–06 Euroleague was the 6th season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 49th season of the premier competition for European men's clubs o ...
.
An attendance of 18,900 fans has also been achieved three times in the EuroLeague, in home games of the Greens, against
Efes Pilsen
Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independ ...
in 2005, and
TAU Cerámica
Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia, S.A.D., commonly known as Saski Baskonia (), also known as Cazoo Baskonia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the ...
(twice) in 2006. While PAO no longer holds the record for largest EuroLeague home crowd, it still holds the honor of being involved in the record attendance game. PAO was the opponent of
Partizan Belgrade, when it drew 22,567 fans to
Belgrade Arena, during a
2008–09 EuroLeague
The 2008–09 Euroleague was the 9th season of the professional basketball competition for elite clubs throughout Europe, organised by Euroleague Basketball Company, and it was the 52nd season of the premier competition for European men's clubs ...
game. The EuroLeague attendance record was then broken again by Panathinaikos, on 18 April 2013, on the season's 4th EuroLeague game (
2012–13 EuroLeague
The 2012–13 Euroleague was the 13th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the third under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, this was ...
) against
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
. It was estimated that the number of viewers reached 30,000 (over 25,000 officially). However, the EuroLeague does not officially recognize that as the all-time attendance record, since the number of fans in the arena, went over the arena's normal
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...
.
Mascot
Mr. Green (2006-2021)
"Mr. Green" was the first official mascot of Panathinaikos B.C. "Born" in 2006, he was a green muscular basketball player, with a basketball as a head. He used to wear a jersey with the number "08", which is a reference to 1908, the year Panathinaikos was founded. Creating Mr. Green took a good part of a month, since he was made out of material commonly being used in the Hollywood motion pictures industry for the construction of movie costumes, such as the ones for Batman, Spider-Man and other American movie characters. He entertained fans of all ages during game breaks, gave away presents, and participated in all entertainment events inside the court. Mr. Green partook in each and every game hosted by the team at OAKA, while he always stood by the children, participating in social responsibility events. He has also participated in five All Star Games.
Green Kong
On 18 September 2021, during the 2021-22 pre-season and the beginning of the "3rd Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament", "Green Kong", the new official mascot was revealed, a grey haired gorilla sporting a Panathinaikos jersey.
Rivalries
Olympiacos
Panathinaikos hold a major long-term rivalry with
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...
, and matches between the two teams are referred to as the "
Derby of the eternal enemies". Panathinaikos is the most successful basketball club in Greece, with Olympiacos being runners-up. For the eternal enemies are the most traditional basketball powers, as they have been fighting in the top level of the Greek basketball scene longer than any other team.
Their rivalry is highly credited, especially in the 1990s-2000s, when they met each other in several
regular season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...
and
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
series, and in some
EuroLeague matches which marked their history.
Minor rivalries
Panathinaikos used to hold a minor rivalry with
Aris, mostly during the 1980s, when Panathinaikos and Aris were the two biggest dynasties in Greek basketball at the time. They also hold a minor rivalry with
AEK
A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...
and
PAOK, not for on-court dominance but mostly due to the fanbase of the clubs involved. None of the above rivalries can even be compared to the huge and manifold rivalry with Olympiacos, though.
Seasons
:''Scroll down to see more.''
Season by season
International record
The road to the six EuroLeague victories
EuroLeague 1996
EuroLeague 2000
EuroLeague 2002
EuroLeague 2007
EuroLeague 2009
EuroLeague 2011
Less significant European successes
Panathinaikos has advanced to the
Final Four of the EuroLeague (and its predecessor) another five times:
Tel Aviv in 1994 (3rd),
Zaragoza in 1995 (3rd),
Paris in 2001 (2nd),
Moscow in 2005 (3rd), and
Istanbul in 2012 (4th). Other significant successes are: the two appearances in the semifinals of the
FIBA Cup Winners' Cup (
1968–69,
1997–98), as well as the road to the semifinals of the
FIBA European Champions' Cup in the
1971–72 season (eliminated by
Ignis Varese
Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA.
For past club spo ...
(78–70, 55–69). In the
1981–82 season, Panathinaikos participated in the semifinals of the FIBA European Champions' Cup, after eliminating the teams of
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
and
Levski-Spartak, in that order.
Friendly games against NBA and Chinese teams
Panathinaikos has twice made a tour of the United States, for
friendly games. In 2003, when they played against the
NBA team the
Toronto Raptors, and in 2007. On 11 October 2007, Panathinaikos played against the NBA's
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
, and on 18 October 2007, they played against the defending
NBA champions
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Co ...
at the time, the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
.
Panathinaikos has also twice made a tour in China for friendly games. In 2013, when they played against
Foshan Long Lions. On 28 September 2015, Panathinaikos played against
Zhejiang Lions, and on 30 September 2015, they played against the
Guangdong Tigers.
Season-by-season records
Notable players
Listed as ''Green Legends'' in Panathinaikos B.C. site:
*
Faidon Matthaiou
Faidon Matthaiou, also spelled Fedon Mattheou and Phaedon Mathaiou ( el, Φαίδων Ματθαίου) (12 July 1924 – 17 September 2011) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach. He was a center at the start of his career, and a ...
(1949–1955)
*
Giorgos Kolokithas (1966–1973)
*
Takis Koroneos (1968–1986, 1989–1990)
*
Chris Kefalos (1969–1978)
*
Dimitris Kokolakis (1969–1983)
*
Apostolos Kontos
Apostolos Kontos (Greek: Απόστολος Κόντος) (born on November 22, 1947) is a Greek former professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the great players in Panathinaikos Athens history, and is the club's a ...
(1969–1983)
*
Memos Ioannou
Agamemnon "Memos" Ioannou ( el, Αγαμέμνων "Μέμος" Ιωάννου; born April 15th, 1958 in Greece) is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. At 6'2¾" (1.90 m), he played at the point guard and shooting guard pos ...
(1974–1990)
*
David Stergakos (1978–1991)
*
Fragiskos Alvertis (1990–2009)
*
Antonio Davis (1990–1992)
*
Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
(1992–1994)
*
Stojan Vranković (1992–1996)
*
Dominique Wilkins (1995–1996)
*
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. As a player, he was primarily a poin ...
(1994–1996)
*
Dino Rađja (1997–1999)
*
Byron Scott (1997–1998)
*
Fanis Christodoulou
Theofanis "Fanis" Christodoulou ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Χριστοδούλου; born May 22, 1965) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played mainly at small forward, but his complete all-around skills allowed him t ...
(1997–1998)
*
Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis (alternate spelling: Antonios, Greek: Αντώνης Φώτσης; born April 1 or 2, 1981) is a Greek professional basketball player for Ilysiakos. He was also the captain of the Greece men's national basketball team. He is a ...
(1997–2001, 2002–2003, 2008–2011, 2013–2017)
*
Dejan Bodiroga (1998–2002)
*
Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
(1999–2001)
*
Darryl Middleton (2000–2005)
*
Oded Kattash (1999–2001)
*
Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
(2003–2012, 2013–2014)
*
Dimitris Diamantidis (2004–2016)
*
Tony Delk
Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...
(2006–2007)
*
Sarunas Jasikevicius (2007–2010, 2011–2012)
*
Nick Calathes (2009–2012, 2015–2020)
*
James Gist (2012–2019)
Mentioned by Panathinaikos B.C. as ''players who have left their mark in basketball history'':
History • Trophy case
, Panathinaikos BC site
File:DSC00294 Apostolos Kontos.jpg, Apostolos Kontos
Apostolos Kontos (Greek: Απόστολος Κόντος) (born on November 22, 1947) is a Greek former professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the great players in Panathinaikos Athens history, and is the club's a ...
File:Nikos Galis Panathinaikos 1992.jpg, Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
File:1996 Dominique Wilkins Panathinaikos.jpg, Dominique Wilkins
File:ByronScottPanathinaikos1998.jpg, Byron Scott
File:Alvertis1010440.jpg, Fragiskos Alvertis
File:Dejan Bodiroga 2006.jpg, Dejan Bodiroga
File:Diamantidis 11052013.JPG, Dimitris Diamantidis
File:Fanis Christodoulou Panathinaikos.jpg, Fanis Christodoulou
Theofanis "Fanis" Christodoulou ( el, Θεοφάνης "Φάνης" Χριστοδούλου; born May 22, 1965) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played mainly at small forward, but his complete all-around skills allowed him t ...
File:Batist Pana2007-2008.jpg, Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
Club captains
* Apostolos Kontos
Apostolos Kontos (Greek: Απόστολος Κόντος) (born on November 22, 1947) is a Greek former professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the great players in Panathinaikos Athens history, and is the club's a ...
(1972–1983)
* Takis Koroneos (1983–1985)
* Memos Ioannou
Agamemnon "Memos" Ioannou ( el, Αγαμέμνων "Μέμος" Ιωάννου; born April 15th, 1958 in Greece) is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. At 6'2¾" (1.90 m), he played at the point guard and shooting guard pos ...
(1985–1990)
* Liveris Andritsos (1990–1992)
* Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
(1992–1994)
* Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. As a player, he was primarily a poin ...
(1994–1996)
* Nikos Oikonomou (1996–1997)
* Kostas Patavoukas (1997–1999)
* Fragiskos Alvertis (1999–2009)
* Dimitris Diamantidis (2009–2016)
* Nick Calathes (2016–2017)
* Ian Vougioukas
Ian Vougioukas (alternate spelling: Ian Vouyoukas) (Greek: Ίαν Βουγιούκας; born May 31, 1985) is a Greek professional basketball player who last played for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. Standing at , ...
(2017–2018)
* Nick Calathes (2018–2020)
* Ioannis Papapetrou (2020–2022)
* Georgios Papagiannis
Georgios Papagiannis (Greek: Γιώργος Παπαγιάννης; born July 3, 1997) is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. Born in Marousi, Athens, Greec ...
(2022–present)
Head coaches
* Missas Pantazopoulos
Michailis "Missas" Pantazopoulos (alternate spelling: Misas) (Greek: Μιχάλης "Μίσσας" Πανταζόπουλος; 1924 – 25 April 2006) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach.
Playing career Club career
During his cl ...
(1945–1951)
* Nikos Milas
Nikolaos "Nikos" Milas ( el, Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Μήλας; 9 July 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Greek basketball player and coach. He was born in Athens.
Playing career Club career
Milas was a skilled technical player, with good dribbl ...
(1960–1961, 1963–1965, 1975–1976)
* Kostas Mourouzis (1966–1974, 1986–1987)
* Richard Dukeshire (1974–1975)
* Michalis Kyritsis (1978, 1983–1986, 1988–1989, 1997)
* Kostas Politis
Konstantinos "Kostas" Politis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Πολίτης; 21 March 1942 – 18 June 2018) was a Greek professional basketball player and coach.
Career as a player
Club career
Politis played with Panathinaikos ...
(1978–1982, 1993–1994)
* Željko Pavličević (1991–1993)
* Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou (1994–1995)
* Božidar Maljković
Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.
He is one of the most successful bas ...
(1995–1997)
* Slobodan Subotić (1997–1999)
* Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
(1999–2012)
* Argyris Pedoulakis
Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...
(2012–2014, 2016, 2019)
* Duško Ivanović (2014–2015)
* Aleksandar Đorđević (2015–2016)
* Xavi Pascual (2016–2018)
* Rick Pitino (2018–2019, 2019–2020)
* Georgios Vovoras (2020–2021, 2022)
* Oded Kattash (2021)
* Dimitris Priftis (2021–2022)
* Dejan Radonjić (2022–present)
Honours and statistics
League records
Cup records
European records
Top 10 players in games, points, rebounds and assists in the A1 Division (since the 1986–87 season)
Panathinaikos team leaders in games played, points scored, and rebounds, in games played in the Greek A1 Division, since it was first formed, starting with the 1986–87 season.
* * Still active player with the team.
:
One-club men
Individual honours
FIBA Hall of Fame
*Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
* Dominique Wilkins
*Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
* Rick Pitino
* Dino Rađja
FIBA's 50 Greatest Players
* Dino Rađja
* Alexander Volkov
* Giorgos Kolokithas
*Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
* Fragiskos Alvertis
* Dejan Bodiroga
*Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
*Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis ( el, Παναγιώτης Γιαννάκης, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. As a player, he was primarily a poin ...
*Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
*Božidar Maljković
Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.
He is one of the most successful bas ...
*Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
* Dino Rađja
EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award
* Dimitris Diamantidis
*Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
*Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas (, born September 10, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a listed height of 6'6" (1.98 m) tall,
he could play at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His indi ...
EuroLeague Basketball 2001–10 All-Decade Team
* Dejan Bodiroga
* Dimitris Diamantidis
*Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
*Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas (, born September 10, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a listed height of 6'6" (1.98 m) tall,
he could play at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His indi ...
Mr. Europa
The Mister Europa European Player of the Year Award was an annual basketball award created in 1976, and given until 2010, by the panel of journalists of the Italian weekly magazine ''Superbasket''. Its purpose was to praise the best basketball p ...
* Dimitris Diamantidis (2007)
All-Europe Player of the Year
* Dejan Bodiroga (2002)
* Dimitris Diamantidis (2007)
EuroLeague Executive of the Year
* Pavlos Giannakopoulos ( 2010–11)
* Thanasis Giannakopoulos ( 2010–11)
EuroLeague MVP
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2010–11)
EuroLeague Final Four MVP
The EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player Award is presented and awarded to the basketball player who has exhibited the most exceptional play during the EuroLeague Final Four. The award often goes to the best player on the European-wide top ...
* Dominique Wilkins ( 1995–96)
*Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
( 1999–00)
* Dejan Bodiroga ( 2001–02)
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2006–07, 2010–11)
* Vassilis Spanoulis ( 2008–09)
EuroLeague Best Defender
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11)
* Stéphane Lasme ( 2012–13)
EuroLeague Top Scorer
The Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy, also known as the EuroLeague Best Scorer, is an annual basketball award of Europe's premier level league, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. It is given to the Top Scorer throughout the EuroLeague sea ...
* Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
(1993–94)
EuroLeague Coach of the Year Award
*Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
( 2006–07, 2010–11)
Greek Basket League MVP
The Greek Basket League MVP is the yearly MVP award that is awarded by the 1st-tier professional basketball league in Greece, the Greek Basket League.
Since the 2014–15 season, the Greek Basket League MVP award is voted on by the fans online, ...
* Dejan Bodiroga (1998–99)
*Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
( 1999–00)
* Fragiskos Alvertis ( 2002–03)
*Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovič (born 9 July 1978) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB, as well as an assistant coach of the Slovenia national team.
Standing at , ...
( 2004–05)
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2013–14)
* Vassilis Spanoulis ( 2008–09)
*Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
( 2009–10)
* Stéphane Lasme ( 2012–13)
* Nick Calathes ( 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19)
Greek Basket League Finals MVP
The Greek Basket League Finals MVP, or Greek Basket League Playoffs MVP award ( Greek: Ελληνικού Α1 Μπάσκετ Πρωταθλήματος Tελικός MVP) is the yearly Finals MVP award for the playoff finals of the 1st-tier prof ...
* Dino Rađja (1997–98)
* Dejan Bodiroga (1998–99, 1999–00)
*Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
( 2000–01)
*Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovič (born 9 July 1978) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB, as well as an assistant coach of the Slovenia national team.
Standing at , ...
( 2002–03, 2004–05)
* Nikos Chatzivrettas ( 2003–04)
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2013–14)
*Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
( 2009–10)
* Stéphane Lasme ( 2012–13)
Greek Cup MVP
* Dominique Wilkins (1995–96)
* Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pam ...
(1999–00)
* Fragiskos Alvertis (2002–03)
* Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovič (born 9 July 1978) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB, as well as an assistant coach of the Slovenia national team.
Standing at , ...
(2004–05)
* Kostas Tsartsaris
Konstantinos "Kostas" Tsartsaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Τσαρτσαρής; born October 17, 1979 in Veria, Greece), is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach, who spent most of his playing career with th ...
(2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08)
* Dimitris Diamantidis (2008–09, 2015–16)
* Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
(2011–12)
* Roko Ukić
Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...
(2012–13)
* Ramel Curry
Ramel Antwone Curry (born April 17, 1980) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Sagesse Club of the Lebanese Basketball League.
College career
After playing high school basketball, Curry played college basketball at Fresno ...
(2013–14)
* Loukas Mavrokefalidis ( 2014–15)
* James Feldeine
James Feldeine (born June 26, 1988) is an American-Dominican professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for Quinnipiac University, before playing professionally in Spai ...
( 2016–17)
* Nick Calathes ( 2018-19)
Greek League Top Scorer
* Giorgos Kolokithas (1965–66, 1966–67)
Greek League Best Defender
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2010–11)
* Stéphane Lasme ( 2012–13, 2013–14)
* Nick Calathes ( 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18)
Greek League Top Rebounder
* David Stergakos (1987–88)
* Antonio Davis (1991–92)
* Dino Rađja (1997–98)
Greek League Assist Leader
* Nikos Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...
(1992–93, 1993–94)
* Byron Dinkins
Byron Stewart Dinkins (born June 15, 1967) is a retired American professional basketball player who played two seasons in the NBA, from 1989 to 1991. He played college basketball for UNC Charlotte. After his stint in the NBA Dinkins pursued a pro ...
(1995–96)
* Dimitris Diamantidis ( 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014-15)
* Vassilis Spanoulis ( 2007–08)
* Nick Calathes ( 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18)
Greek League Most Improved Player
* Nick Calathes ( 2010–11)
Greek League Coach of the Year
*Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
( 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11)
*Argyris Pedoulakis
Argyris Pedoulakis (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argiris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Πεδουλάκης; born May 26, 1964) is a former Greek professional basketball player and basketball coach, who is currently acting as the general manag ...
( 2012–13)
* Xavi Pascual ( 2016-17, 2017-18)
All-Greek League Team
* Kostas Tsartsaris
Konstantinos "Kostas" Tsartsaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Τσαρτσαρής; born October 17, 1979 in Veria, Greece), is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach, who spent most of his playing career with th ...
( 2003-04)
* Dimitris Diamantidis (2004-05
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the Rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with Sweep (rowing), sweep oars, without a Coxswain, coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each ha ...
, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16)
* Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovič (born 9 July 1978) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Gran Canaria of the Liga ACB, as well as an assistant coach of the Slovenia national team.
Standing at , ...
(2004-05
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the Rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with Sweep (rowing), sweep oars, without a Coxswain, coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each ha ...
)
* Vassilis Spanoulis (2004-05
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the Rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with Sweep (rowing), sweep oars, without a Coxswain, coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each ha ...
, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09)
* Ramūnas Šiškauskas
Ramūnas Šiškauskas (, born September 10, 1978) is a former Lithuanian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a listed height of 6'6" (1.98 m) tall,
he could play at both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His indi ...
( 2006-07)
* Mike Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague se ...
( 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12)
* Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
( 2008-09)
* Nikola Peković ( 2008-09)
* Drew Nicholas
Andrew Lawrence Nicholas (born May 17, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Nicholas was the leading scorer in the EuroLeague 2005–06 season, being awarded the Alphonso Ford Trophy. He is a two-time E ...
( 2009-10)
* Stéphane Lasme ( 2012-13, 2013-14)
* Jonas Mačiulis
Jonas Mačiulis (born 10 February 1985) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he mainly plays at the small forward position. As a member of the senior Lithuanian national team, he earned an All-EuroBasket Team sel ...
( 2013-14)
* Loukas Mavrokefalidis ( 2014-15)
* Nick Calathes ( 2016-17, 2017-18)
* Chris Singleton ( 2016-17, 2017-18)
Greek League Most Spectacular Player
* Mike James ( 2016-17)
* Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Athanasios Rotimi "Thanasis" Antetokounmpo, (born Adetokunbo; July 18, 1992) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 6 feet and 7 inches, he plays the ...
( 2017-18)
Greek League Best Young Player
* Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis (alternate spelling: Antonios, Greek: Αντώνης Φώτσης; born April 1 or 2, 1981) is a Greek professional basketball player for Ilysiakos. He was also the captain of the Greece men's national basketball team. He is a ...
( 2000-01)
Management
Ownership & Current Board
Academies staff
Presidential history
Until 1992, the President of Panathinaikos A.C. was responsible for the management of the team. In 1992, the basketball department became professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
, with its own President.
See also
*Panathinaikos women's basketball
Panathinaikos AC Women's Basketball is the women's basketball department of the major Greek multi-sport club Panathinaikos A.O. The club is based in Athens, Greece. The department was founded in 1937 creating the first and oldest women's baske ...
References
External links
*
Panathinaikos B.C.
at Euroleague.net
Panathinaikos B.C.
at Eurobasket.com
Panathinaikos Arena
Academies official website
Official YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panathinaikos B.C.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
Basketball teams in Greece
Basketball teams established in 1919
EuroLeague-winning clubs
EuroLeague clubs
Sports clubs in Athens