At the professional club level, the Greece men's basketball clubs have, in European-wide Cup competitions, organized under both FIBA and EuroLeague Basketball, won 19 European championships, 10 of which have been won in the 1st-tier level EuroLeague competition, as well as three world club championships at the FIBA Club World Cup, bringing the total amount of international titles won by Greek men's clubs to 21. At the women's professional club level, Athinaikos won the title of the 2nd-tier EuroCup, in 2010.
History
The early years of the sport in Greece
The sport of basketball has a long history in the country of Greece, having first come to the country in the year 1910. The first official championship of the Greek League, then called the Panhellenic Championship, was contested as regional champions playing against each other to decide a winner, starting with the 1927–28 season.
Faidon Matthaiou, considered to be the Patriarch of the basketball in Greece
The great Greek athlete, Faidon Matthaiou, is considered to be the patriarch of the sport in the country. He was the country's first great player in the sport. He led Greece's senior national team to the bronze medal at the 1949 EuroBasket, in the first tournament it competed in, right after the national team had been formed. Matthaiou would go on to become one of the best players in Europe in the 1950s.
The 1950s
The first great club team in the history of Greek basketball was the Greek League club Panellinios. Panellinios featured 5 great players, known as the "Golden Five" ("Chrysi Pentada"), or "The Fabulous Five":[1]Themis Cholevas (PG), Dinos Papadimas (SG), Mimis Stefanidis (SF), Panos Manias (PF), and Aristeidis Roubanis (C).[2] The Golden Five, and its head coach, Nikos Nisiotis, was considered to be one of the best teams in Europe at the time in the 1950s, as it won the invitational European club tournament 2 out of 3 years, and made the final in the other year. The invitational European club tournament was the forerunner tournament of the EuroLeague.
During that era, Panellinios took part in the biggest international club tournaments in Europe, the predecessors of the EuroLeague that were then held instead of the EuroLeague tournament. The club advanced to the final of the 1954 San Remo Tournament, which they lost 81–74 to the Italian League club Borletti Milano. Panellinios then won the 1955 Brussels Tournament, by defeating the Yugoslav League club Crvena zvezda in the final, by a score of 91–67. Panellinios also won the 1956 San Remo Tournament, by defeating the Italian League club Minganti Bologna, by a score of 67–37.
Nisiotis is credited by most as being mainly responsible for the development of the sport in Greece in the 1930s and 1940s. Panellinios also featured the great scorer Antonis Christeas.
The Spanoudakis brothers, Ioannis and Alekos, who were players of Olympiacos, were among the first early important pioneers of the modern style sport in the country. Boston Celtics players Bob Cousy, and the Greek American player Lou Tsioropoulos, came to Greece in the 1950s, and gave teaching clinics on what the Celtics were doing, and how they were playing the game at the time. The Spanoudakis brothers learned directly from them, and were among the first players in Greece to incorporate much of the American style of basketball, and to begin playing a brand of basketball in Greece that incorporated many of the moves and plays that they had been shown by the Celtics players.
The 1960s
In the 1963–64 season, the top men's basketball Greek League formed into a national league system for the first time. Up until that point, the Greek men's national basketball championship had been contested by teams locally at the regional level, with the champions of each regional level then playing against each other. With the start of the 1963–64 season, a true nationwide league system, called the Alpha National Category, was formed for the first time
AEK won 5 Greek League championships in the decade of the 1960s, in a sequence of 4 in a row and 5 out of 6 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968), surrounded by an earlier Greek League championship in 1958, and another later one in 1970. Making it a total of 7 Greek League championships won in 11 seasons for the club in that era.
Olympiacos also won 2 Greek League championships during the 1970s, winning the title in both 1976 and 1978. The club featured famous Greek players like Steve Giatzoglou and Georgios Kastrinakis, as well as players like Georgios Barlas, Paul Melini, and Pavlos Diakoulas. In 1976, the first official men's Greek Cup tournament was held. Olympiacos dominated the Greek Cup in its early years, as they won the first 3 editions of the tournament (1976, 1977, and 1978). Previously, two Attica State Cup tournaments had been held in the years 1967 and 1971, with AEK winning both of those tournaments.
Aris finished the decade by winning its first Greek League championship since 1930, in 1979. Aris was led by the great scorer of the time, Charis Papageorgiou. The great Greek scorer Vassilis Goumas, had the best years of his career in the '70s.
The 1980s
"The Emperor" dynasty of Aris
The decade of the 1980s began with another run of dominance by Panathinaikos in men's club basketball. They won the first 3 championships of the decade (1980, 1981, and 1982). In 1983, Aris won the Greek League championship, being led by its legendary scorer Nikos Galis. Panathinaikos won the championship again in 1984, beginning the decade by winning 4 of the first 5 Greek League championships.
Aris won the Greek League championship in every remaining year of the decade, and also won the first two championships of the 1990s (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991). Aris also dominated the Greek Cup in the last half of the decade, as they won it in 1987, 1988, and 1989, and added two of the first three cups of the 1990s as well (1990, 1992). Aris also had good success on the European-wide level in this era, as they made it to the top-tier level EuroLeague Final Four in 3 straight years, 1988 EuroLeague Final Four, 1989 EuroLeague Final Four, and 1990 EuroLeague Final Four.
The Greece men's national basketball team qualified for the 1986 FIBA World Cup, and finished the tournament in 10th place. The top 10 world finish in 1986, was a prelude to the long success that was to come for the Greece men's national team. The next year, Greece hosted the 1987 EuroBasket, and the Greece national team won the tournament's gold medal. During the tournament, they had wins over the legendary 1980s European national teams of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Greek basketball player Nikos Galis was named the tournament's MVP.
Greece then won the silver medal at the next EuroBasket tournament, 1989 EuroBasket. Over the two EuroBasket tournaments of 1987 and 1989, Greece had a total of four wins against the Soviet Union (twice) and Yugoslavia (twice). This established Greece's senior men's national team, as one of the top 4 best national teams in the world at the time, along with the USA, Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. During this era, Greece's senior national team was led by great players like Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fasoulas, and Fanis Christodoulou.
The 1990s
The rise of the Greek League to the top of Europe
In Greek men's club basketball, the 1990s started off with the ending of the great Aris dynasty of the 1980s. At the tail end of its dynasty, Aris won the Greek League championship in 1990 and 1991, the Greek Cup title in 1992, and the European-wide 2nd-tier level FIBA Saporta Cup, in 1993. They also won the European-wide 3rd-tier level FIBA Korać Cup in 1997, and the Greek Cup in 1998. Aris' main rivals, PAOK, also had a lot of success around this time.
While Olympiacos was dominating in Greece, and having great success in Europe, Panathinaikos also had great success in Europe. Panathinaikos made the EuroLeague Final Four in 1994, 1995, and 1996. In 1996, they won the EuroLeague championship, and became the first Greek team to ever win Europe's top-tier level basketball club championship. The 1996 EuroLeague champion team was coached by Božidar Maljković, and featured players like: Fragiskos Alvertis, Dominique Wilkins, Stojko Vranković, Panagiotis Giannakis, Michael Koch, and Nikos Oikonomou.
AEK Athens also made it to the EuroLeague Finals in 1998. It was during the 1990s, that the Greek League was widely considered to be the best men's club national domestic basketball league in Europe. The Greek Women's Cup also began in the 1990s, as it started with the 1995–96 season.
The 2000s
"The Empire" dynasty of Panathinaikos
The decade of the 2000s in Greek basketball was marked by the dominance of Panathinaikos at the men's top-tier club level. Panathinaikos' dynasty began at the end of the 1990s, when they won the Greek League championship in 1998 and 1999, following their EuroLeague championship in 1996. They then won the Greek League championship in 2000 and 2001, making it a run of 4 straight Greek League championships.
Panathinaikos then continued their dominance under coach Obradović, winning the next 9 straight Greek League championships (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011). They also won the Greek Cup title in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In addition to that, Panathinaikos won the EuroLeague championship in 2007, the EuroLeague championship in 2009, and added the EuroLeague championship in 2011, to begin the next decade.
From 2003, to 2009, Greece had an impressive run of top 5 finishes in the three biggest FIBA tournaments – under head coach Giannis Ioannidis, Greece finished in 5th place in Europe, at the 2003 EuroBasket. Then, under head coach Panagiotis Giannakis, Greece finished in 5th place in the world at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Following that, Greece finished 1st in Europe, as they won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket; and then they finished 2nd in the world, as they won the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Cup, where they also beat Team USA.
The first official men's basketball championship in Greece was held in the 1927–28 season. Until 1963 however, there was no unified national championship, and the champion was chosen through games between the regional champions. In 1963, the A National Category (Greek: Α' Εθνική Κατηγορία) was created. In 1992, the championship abandoned its amateur status and was officially recognized by FIBA Europe as a fully professional league under the name HEBA A1 (ΕΣΑΚΕ Α1), organized by the Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association (HEBA). The league now operates under the name of Greek Basket League.
The Basket League is ranked as one of the 5 "A" level national domestic leagues in European basketball by the European national basketball league rankings, and was considered Europe's best pro national domestic league during the 1990s. This professional league consists of 14 teams. Under the regulations, the bottom two teams at the end of the regular season are relegated to the Greek A2 Basket League (Ελληνική Α2 καλαθοσφαίρισης), while conversely, the top two teams from the A2 are promoted to the Basket League. The first placing 8 teams of the regular season qualify for the league's playoffs.
The Greek Women's Basket League began in 1967, and consists of 12 teams. The Women's A National Category (Α' Εθνικής Κατηγορίας Γυναικών) began with the 1984–85 season, and it became known as the Women's A1 National Category (Α1 Εθνικής Κατηγορίας Γυναικών) in 1997.
The men's Greek Basketball Cup was held for the first time in 1976. After 45 cups, Panathinaikos has won the most Greek Cups with 19. From 1995 to 2004, the tournament was held in a Final Four style tournament. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation (E.O.K.).
In the women's competition, the cup tournament was first held in the year 1996.
Successes of the pro club teams
Greek men's professional basketball teams have a total of 29 appearances in the finals of European cup competitions, of which they have won a total of 18 trophies. One of the greatest achievements of Greek basketball are the victories of Panathinaikos (1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2024) and Olympiacos (1997, 2012, 2013) in the Finals of the 1st-tier level men's EuroLeague competition. Panathinaikos also won the international worldwide club title, the FIBA Club World Cup competition, in the year 1996. Olympiacos also won the same title in 2013. AEK Athens also won that title in 2019.
International successes of the Greece national basketball teams
Since winning the Greece men's basketball 1987 EuroBasket, the record of Greece national basketball shows numerous successes. The men's national youth teams especially have recorded successes in international competitions.
Since the Greece men's national basketball team won its first FIBA EuroBasket gold medal in 1987, it has been a regular competitor at the EuroBasket, FIBA World Cup, and the Summer Olympics. The men's national team from 1987 included legendary players such as: Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fasoulas, and Fanis Christodoulou. Panagiotis Giannakis also later became the senior team's head coach, and he led the Greeks to win the European Championship (EuroBasket) again, in the year 2005, at Belgrade. Giannakis became the first person to have succeeded in winning the FIBA European Championship (EuroBasket), both as a player and as a head coach. After the Greece national football team had earlier in 2004, won the European Championship in football, it gave Greece the rare distinction of being the European champion in the two most important team ball sports at the same time. At the 2006 FIBA World Cup held in Japan, Greece reached the final, and won the silver medal. They accomplished this after becoming the only team at the tournament to beat Team USA, whom they defeated in the semifinals, by a score of 101–95.
Greece's senior men's team then won the bronze medal at the 2009 EuroBasket.
The MVP of that EuroBasket was Nikos Galis, who to this day, still remains one of the biggest sports icons in Greece. In the subsequent EuroBasket tournament in 1989, Greece again reached the final, where they lost to the Yugoslavia national team, which led by its star player, Dražen Petrović, went undefeated during the tournament. By taking the silver medal at the 1989 EuroBasket, Greece cemented its position among Europe's leading basketball nations.
Greece's senior men's national basketball team took part in the World Cup for the first time at the 1986 tournament, where they finished in tenth place. Greece made it to the semifinals of both the 1994 FIBA World Cup and the 1998 FIBA World Cup, which Greece also hosted. At the 2006 FIBA World Cup, which was held in Japan, Greece won the silver medal, after defeating the heavily favored USA, by a score of 101 to 95 in the semifinals. Greece also took the bronze medal at the 2009 EuroBasket.
Greece has often taken part in the Mediterranean Games. The greatest success of the men's national team at the Mediterranean Games is the gold medal, which they won in 1979. Furthermore, Greece has won four silver medals at the tournament, in the years 1991, 2001, 2005, and 2009. In addition to that, they have also won three bronze medals at the tournament, in the years 1955, 1971, and 1987.
Peristeri's home arena, the 4,000 capacity Peristeri Indoor Hall, opened up in 1989. By the early 1990s, the sport of basketball had become well established in Greece, and the Greek Basket League had become the strongest professional national domestic league in Europe, as well as the richest. A rising number of television viewers in Greece were watching the league, there was a high level of Greek media interest in the sport, and the application of the country to host major sports events had left many of the nation's existing gyms too old and too small for the times. So, in Athens, the Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall was opened in 1995. It holds 19,250 spectators (21,098 standing room capacity), and it is still one of the two biggest indoor sports halls in Europe, where regular basketball games are held. The Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall has hosted the 1995 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, the 1995 EuroBasket, the 1998 FIBA World Cup, and the 2004 Summer Olympics. Currently, the men's club Panathinaikos plays its home games in the Olympic Hall. the men's sections of AEK Athens and Maroussi have also played home games there.[9]
Also in 1995, the 4,200 capacity (expandable to 5,500) arena Larrisa Neapolis, and the 4,200 capacity arena Dimitris Tofalos were built. The Greek club Larissa has recently used the Larissa Neapolis Arena to host its home games, while the Greek club Promitheas Patras, has recently used the Dimitris Tofalos Arena to host its home games. In 2000, the first modern indoor sports arena in Thessaloniki was built, P.A.O.K. Sports Arena. The arena is under the possession of PAOK, and it holds 8,500 spectators.[10] For the 2004 Summer Olympics, the Helliniko Indoor Arena was built. It holds 15,000 spectators, and has been used at various times, as the home arena of the Greek men's clubs Panionios, Panellinios, and AEK Athens.[11]
In 2004, the 10,000 seat Ano Liosia Olympic Hall was completed. It currently hosts the home games of AEK Athens. Panionios' new 4,200-seat arena, the Boban Janković Indoor Hall, is scheduled to open up in 2021.
The Greek women's national team's all-time second leading scorer, with 3,215 points, and record holder with 214 Greek women's national team caps. Former WNBA player.[16][17]
With the financial rise of the professional men's club basketball competition, the Greek Basket League, during the 1990s, and the media interest for the league in Greece that was generated by large television viewership – there came a desire among viewers and fans to see Greek clubs bring in professional basketball players from abroad. Due to the Alpha 1 League's (its name at the time) immigration provisions, top foreign prospects chose the path of naturalization, in order to circumvent the league's rules. Among them were players from the former Yugoslavia, like Peja Stojaković and Marko Jarić, and from the ex-USSR, like Tiit Sokk. With the Bosman ruling in Europe in 1995, the Greek sports market was finally opened to foreign players, and as a result, today major players from around the world are active in the Basket League. The most notable foreign player that has played in the Greek League, is probably the American player Dominique Wilkins, who scored more than 26,000 points in the NBA, and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He left the Boston Celtics in 1995, and signed with Panathinaikos. Another well-known American player that moved to the Greek League, was the three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Byron Scott, who later became a head coach in the NBA. A super talent who moved to Greece from the NBA was Roy Tarpley. In 1986, Tarpley was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round, with the seventh (7th) overall pick of the 1986 NBA draft. Tarpley made the NBA All-Rookie Team in his first season, and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award the following year, when he averaged 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. In 1991, he was banned from the league for violating the NBA's drug-use policies, and in the 1992–93 season, he decided to come to the Greek League, first for Sato Aris, and then for Olympiacos. Some of the other prominent American players that moved to the Greek League, were Ken Barlow, Walter Berry, Rolando Blackman, P. J. Brown, Antonio Davis, Tony Delk, Eddie Johnson, Jeff Malone, Audie Norris, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, David Rivers, the four-time NBA champion John Salley, the two-time NBA champion Cliff Levingston, the future NBA head coach Scott Skiles, and Mitchell Wiggins.
Three of the most significant foreign European players in the history of the Basket League, are the Serbian player Dejan Bodiroga, the Croatian player Dino Rađja, and the Lithuanian player Šarūnas Jasikevičius. All three were named among the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008, and Bodiroga and Jasikevičius were also named to the EuroLeague 2001–10 All-Decade Team. Bodiroga, a two-time FIBA World Cup champion, and a three-time EuroBasket champion, played for four years with Panathinaikos, and with them he won the EuroLeague championship twice. Despite the fact that he never played in the NBA, he was widely regarded as one of the world's best players at that time. Following a successful NBA career, Rađja moved to the Greek League, and he later became one of the few players to star for both of the arch-rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Jasikevičius, who is widely considered one of the best European players of all time, also moved from the NBA to the Greek League. Another well-known foreign European player to play in the Greek League was the Serbian player Dejan Tomašević.
Many foreign coaches have been active in the Greek League. The most important one among them is the Serbian coach Željko Obradović, who was the head coach at Panathinaikos, from 1999 until 2012. Since starting his coaching career in 1991, Obradović has won nine EuroLeague championships, five of them with Panathinaikos, making him the most successful head coach in European men's pro club basketball history. Another foreign coach who has worked in the Greek League is Boža Maljković, who won 4 EuroLeague championships in his coaching career. In 1996, he led Panathinaikos to their first EuroLeague championship, which was also the first ever for a Greek club.
Historically, the best Greek players generally did not play abroad because of the financial strength of Basket League, enabling its clubs to keep the country's top players at home. Until the late 1990s, virtually all of the Greece emn's national basketball team members played their club basketball in Greece. This situation began to change in the early 2000s, when the top leagues in Russia and Spain experienced huge financial growth, and a few top players chose to chase the even greater financial rewards and competitive challenge of the NBA.
This can be illustrated by the makeup of Greece's two EuroBasket-winning teams. All 12 players on the 1987 EuroBasket roster were under contract to Greek clubs, while five members of the 2005 EuroBasket squad were playing outside Greece. More recently, this phenomenon has begun to change as many Greek clubs, most notably long-time rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, have offered top-notch salaries, to once again attract Greece's top players back home. Today, relatively few Greeks play in foreign leagues, and generally, they are usually not the country's best players. The final 12-man Greek squad for the 2010 FIBA World Championship included only three players who were under contract with a club in another country. Only one of the three, Nikos Zisis, had played outside the country for more than one season, going into the 2010 World Championship (he was preparing to start his second season with Montepaschi Siena of the Italian League). At the same time, Georgios Printezis was entering his second season at Unicaja of the Spanish League, and Sofoklis Schortsanitis had just left Olympiacos for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli League.
In addition to the players already named above, some of the other Greek players who have played for significant periods outside the country include:
Kosta Koufos (#13 in blue), with the senior Greek NT.
The Greek diaspora has produced a number of prominent players who chose to start or establish their careers in Greece.
Perhaps the country's most celebrated player, Nikos Galis, is the son of Greek emigrants. He was born and raised in New Jersey. More recently, Pat and Nick Calathes, born and raised in Florida, who are descended from their Greek grandfather, chose to start their professional careers in Greece. The older Pat began his career at Maroussi, went from there to Kolossos Rodou, and then joined Panathinaikos, where Nick had played since beginning his professional career. Both remained at PAO through the 2011–12 season, after which they left Greece to continue their careers elsewhere in Europe (Pat in Israel and Nick in Russia). Pat then played in Panathinaikos again, while Nick has also returned to Panathianikos, after a two-year stint in the NBA. Michael Bramos is another American born player from the Greek diaspora, that chose to begin his pro career in Greece with Peristeri.
Lazaros Papadopoulos and Jake Tsakalidis were born to diaspora Greeks in the former Soviet Union, in modern-day Russia and Georgia respectively, but moved to Greece with their families at young ages, and they were developed in Greece. Both began their professional careers in Greece, but had extensive tenures outside the country, before eventually returning. Papadopoulos established himself as a star with Panathinaikos, but spent many of his best years in Russia, Spain, and Italy, while Tsakilidis spent seven years in the NBA, after starting with AEK. Sergei Bazarevich, was also born and raised in the Soviet Union, and also had Greek lineage. He played in both Greece and the NBA.
Former Greek NBA player, Kosta Koufos, is also from the Greek diaspora, but he has never played with a Greek pro club. Like Galis, he is the son of Greek emigrants, and was born and raised in the U.S. (in his case, Ohio), but he went directly from Ohio State University, to the NBA, without a stopover in Greece. However, Koufos chose to represent the Greece men's national basketball team internationally, as did the Calathes brothers and Bramos. Recently, the Greek diaspora produced players like: Tyler Dorsey, Naz Mitrou-Long, and Zach Auguste, whom have chosen to represent Greece internationally.
The first Greek-born basketball player that made the leap to the NBA was Antonis Fotsis. Fotsis was selected in the 2001 NBA draft, by the Memphis Grizzlies, and he played with them in the NBA for one season. After one season in the NBA, Fotsis returned to Greece, reportedly due to homesickness. Efthimios Rentzias and Andreas Glyniadakis also played in the NBA for one season, before returning to play in Europe.
Vassilis Spanoulis, who was regarded to be the top Greek basketball talent, and the main Greek-born NBA prospect, moved to the NBA in 2006, to play with the Houston Rockets, but he returned to Greece after a disappointing season, both for himself and the Rockets. This was mainly due both to some personal disagreements that he had with then Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy, and because of personal family problems.[19]
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player of Nigerian descent, who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nickname is "The Greek Freak". His older brother, Thanasis, has also played in the NBA games with the New York Knicks and the Bucks. Another one of the Antetokounmpo brothers, Kostas, has also played in the NBA.
On a daily basis, 16 newspapers in the country of Greece publish what is happening in the sport of basketball. Although the media's main focus is always on the men's professional club Greek League, they will also report on the lower level divisions, like the men's A2 League, as well as the NBA, and the other major European national domestic leagues, like the Spanish ACB League and big international club competitions like the EuroLeague.
Greek television has the ability to broadcast all of the men's Greek League games. The men's professional club Greek League has the TV rights to distribute itself on the Greek public broadcaster ERT, the private channel ANT1, and the pay TV station Novasport. EuroLeague games are also broadcast on Novasport, and the private channel Skai TV. Live broadcasts of the Greek League men's national championship, and European-wide professional club games are also offered by the country's large number of sports radio stations.
Nikolaos Georgalis, commonly known as either Nikos Galis, or Nick Galis, is a Greek former professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playing days was nicknamed, "Nick The Greek", "The Gangster", and "The Iron Man", is widely regarded as Europe's greatest scorer to ever play the game, and as one of the all-time greatest players in FIBA international basketball history. In 1991, Galis was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players. In 2007, he became an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. In 2017, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. In 2022, he was inducted in to the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.
Panagiotis "Notis" Giannakis, alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece. He started his senior career at the age of just 13 at Ionikos Nikaias and after noticeable success, he achieved extraordinary success as a player with Aris Thessaloniki from 1984 to 1993, in partnership with Greek basketball's biggest star Nikos Galis along with the rest of the squad, while achieving victory as the national team captain in EuroBasket 1987 in Athens, Greece's first major tournament win in non-Olympic sport which, along with Aris' extraordinary success, cultivated the sport in the country. At the end of his career, he won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996 As head coach, he most prominently led Greece to its second European trophy in EuroBasket 2005 at Serbia and Montenegro, where a team of new and talented stars shone brightest under the nurturship of Giannakis. He would repeat the success the next year, acquiring the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, where the team most notably scored a decisive win against the USA stars of the NBA in the semi-final, which would be USMNBT's last loss in a tournament until 2019. However, Greece's arch rivals Spain would defeat Giannakis' team in the final, as they would do again in the semi-finals of the 2007 EuroBasket. Outside of the Greek national team, he would coach Greek clubs like Aris, where he had the most success as player, Olympiacos, where he achieved renewed success, and the China men's national basketball team. As a player, he was primarily a point guard, but he could also play at the shooting guard position. During his playing career, Giannakis was also widely-known under his nickname of "O Drákos", or "The Dragon" in English.
Panagiotis "Panos" Fasoulas is a Greek politician, and former professional basketball player. He was selected in the second round, with the 37th overall pick, by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 1986 NBA draft. However, he never decided to play in the NBA. During his pro club career, Fasoulas won multiple team titles and individual awards.
Theodoros Papaloukas, commonly known as Theo Papaloukas or Thodoris Papaloukas, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a four-time All-EuroLeague selection, a member of the EuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team and was named one of the 50 greatest EuroLeague contributors in 2008. A revolutionary figure in basketball, as illustrated by his unique ability to come off the bench and alter the course of an encounter, and his uncanny feel for the game, he symbolized the rise of European basketball in the new millennium.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis is a Greek former professional basketball player and Olympian.
Andreas Glyniadakis is a former Greek professional basketball player, at a height of 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall. During his professional club career that started in 1997 and ended in 2020, Glyniadakis played at a center position.
Vassilis Spanoulis, also commonly known as Bill Spanoulis, or Billy Spanoulis is a Greek former professional basketball player and coach, who is currently the head coach for AS Monaco of the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague, as well as the head coach of the senior men's Greek national team. In the sport of basketball, Spanoulis is known worldwide for his signature move as a player, which is commonly known as "Spanoulis Action", or simply "Spanoulis". Use of the Spanoulis play has become popular in the NBA, and in other basketball leagues and competitions around the world. During his pro playing career, at a height of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall, and a weight of 212 lb (96 kg), Spanoulis played as a point guard-shooting guard, and was nicknamed Kill Bill, V-Span, Greek Thunder, and MVP. Spanoulis was named the Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2009, the Eurobasket Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013, the International Sports Prize's World Athlete of the Year in 2013, and the EuroLeague MVP the same year. He earned a record eight All-EuroLeague Team selections and was voted the EuroLeague's 2010–2020 Player of the Decade. Spanoulis retired as the EuroLeague's all-time career leader in assists and total points scored.
Olympiacos B.C., commonly referred to as Olympiacos and Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club based in Piraeus, part of the major multi-sport club, Olympiacos CFP. The parent club was founded in 1925, with the basketball team created in 1931, and their home ground is the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus.
Panathinaikos B.C., also known simply as Panathinaikos, currently also known as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for sponsorship reasons, is the professional basketball team of the major Athens-based multi-sport club Panathinaikos A.O. It is owned by the Giannakopoulos family.
Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis is a Greek basketball executive and former professional basketball player. During his pro club playing career, at a height of 1.97 m tall, he played at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2022. He is currently the general manager of the senior Greek men's national basketball team.
Aris Basketball Club known in European competitions as Aris Thessaloniki, is the professional basketball team of the major Thessaloniki-based Greek multi-sport club A.C. Aris Thessaloniki. Aris BC was founded in 1922, eight years after the founding of the multi-sport club and the football team. Their traditional home arena is Alexandreio Melathron.
Fragiskos "Frankie" Alvertis is a Greek former professional basketball player and general manager of Panathinaikos Athens. As a player, he was the long-time captain of Panathinaikos, where he spent his whole professional career. In 1990, Alvertis joined Panathinaikos, after moving to the club from Glyfada. Alvertis is first on the list of the EuroLeague championships won by a player, with five, since the competition went to the Final Four format, beginning with the 1987–88 season. The former Italian player Dino Meneghin, is first overall, with seven EuroLeague championships won, when including all formats of the competition, dating back to the competition's inaugural 1958 season.
Ioannis Bourousis, commonly known as Giannis Bourousis is a Greek former professional basketball player and basketball executive. He is the general manager of the Greek basketball club ASK Karditsa. During his playing career, at a height of 7 ft 3⁄4 in tall and a weight of 270 lb. (122 kg), Bourousis played at the center position. Bourousis, who was a two-time All-EuroLeague First Team selection, was compared to FIBA Hall of Fame / Basketball Hall of Fame center Vlade Divac, by San Antonio Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich.
Arijan Komazec is a former Croatian professional basketball player.
Faidon Matthaiou, was a Greek professional basketball player and coach. He was a center at the start of his career, and at the end of his career, he also played as a point guard. He wore the number 1 jersey throughout his career. He represented Greece twice at the Summer Olympic Games. As a rower at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and as a basketball player at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Konstantinos "Kostas" Sloukas is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He is also a regular member of the senior Greek basketball national team. A left-handed, 1.90m (6'3") tall combo guard, Kostas Sloukas is one of the most decorated EuroLeague players of his generation.
Nikolaos "Nikos" Pappas is a Greek former professional basketball player who last played for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He stands at 1.95 m meters of height and plays at the shooting guard-small forward positions.
Vassilis Goumas is a Greek former professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed "The Emperor". At the club club level, Goumas was a member of the FIBA European Selection team in 1974. While at the national team level, he was the MVP of the 1973 FIBA EuroBasket Qualification Tournament, while representing the senior Greek national team. In June 1987, after Goumas had announced that the upcoming 1987–88 season would be the final season of his basketball playing career, he was honored by FIBA with a retirement farewell celebration FIBA Europe All-Star Game.
Matthew Thomas Lojeski is an American-Belgian former professional basketball player who last played for AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League. He also represents the senior men's Belgian national basketball team. Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), and weighing 92 kg (203 lbs.), he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
AEK Basketball Club, also known as AEK B.C. or AEK, and more commonly known in European competitions as AEK Athens, is a Greek professional basketball club based in Athens, Greece, part of the major multi-sport club AEK. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).
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