AEK B.C.

Early years

The large Greek population of Constantinople, not unlike those of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Enosis Tataoulon (Ένωσις Ταταούλων), from the Tatavla district, Megas Alexandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος), Hermes (Ερμής) of Galata, Olympias (Ολυμπιάς) of Therapia, and Kati Kioi (Κατί Κίοϊ) of Chalcedon, existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals. These were amongst a dozen Greek-backed clubs that dominated the sporting landscape of the city in the years preceding World War I. After the war, with the influx of mainly French and English soldiers to Constantinople, many of the city clubs participated in regular competition, with teams formed by the foreign troops. Taxim, Pera, and Tatavla became the scene of weekly competitions in not only football, but of athletics, cycling, boxing, and tennis.

Of the clubs in the city though, football was dominated by Enosis Tataoulon and Hermes. Hermes, one of the more popular clubs, was formed in 1875, by the Greek community of Pera (Galata). Forced by the Kemalist regime to change its name to Pera Club in 1923, many of its athletes fled to Greece and settled in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The basketball team of AEK is actually the most successful among A.E.K's athletic departments. The obvious reason is the successes in general of the Greek basketball and that AEK's basketball team was the first ever Greek team to win an international trophy in any of the team's sports. Under Konstantinos Karamanlis' guidance, AEK won the club's first Greek championship in 1958.

1924–1957

Kostas Dimopoulos, one of the creators of AEK club and footballer of the early years, had the idea of creation also a basketball team. His efforts quickly were matched by others who loved with passion this nice sport. He took over, then, the leadership of the department and together with the brothers Simeonidi, Eumenis Athanasiadis and others made the first team. In the beginning they took part in friendly matches with a good impression. After, AEK won the first championship played in Athens, that was organized by the YMCA in 1924.

In 1928 AEK took part in the first Greek basketball Championship as Athens-Piraeus 1927-28 Champion, but the course was not satisfactory so the players and the regkoent was disappointed and they began to show not so interesting to the part as before.

In 1929 the Greek basketball Championship was not conducted and AEK did not played anywhere.

In 1930 basketball section was not declared in no organization with the effective efforts of Kostas Dimopoulos and his associates to fall in vacuum.

The section remained in obscurity for many years, however in 1949 reappeared and the new administration this time created a competitive team.

In 1953 AEK took part for the second time in the Greek basketball Championship after 1928.

In the Championship of 1955 AEK did an impressive run, however missed the final by Panellinios and ranked second.

1957–1959

In 1958 AEK B.C. with player-coach Konstantinos Karamanlis conquered the first Greek Championship defeating Panellinios in final 67-54.

Postwar, was also founded and worked for a short time and a section of women's basketball. The department presented a remarkable action with the four sisters Chorianopoulou. The club did not give the necessary importance to the department and it was later dissolved.

Amerikanos era (1960–1970): 6 Championships and European title

The Union in the early 60s won two consecutive times the Athens-Piraeus Championship (1960,1961), but did not manage to become Champion of Greece.

But this decade was to be the most important in the history of AEK's basketball. The coach Missas Pantazopoulos created a great set and led the team to the top of Greece. Leading figure during these years was Georgios Amerikanos, nicknamed "The Global".

In the period 1962-1963 AEK won the first of four consecutive championships. The next year dimiorgeitai the First National and AEK having first goalscorer Antonis Christeas (4th in the league), again was champion. In the period from 1964 to 1965 Georgios Amerikanos will be top scorer of the league and with AEK again champions.

The next season 1965-1966 the AEK won the 4th consecutive Greek League and also became the first Greek team participating in the semifinals of the Champions Cup, struggling at the Final Four that conducted in Italy. These successes were accompanied by a large loss group. The athlete Giorgos Moschos had contracted cancer, but managed to participate in certain competitions that year and died on December 29, 1966 at age 29.

The next year AEK lost the Championship from Panathinaikos. However, a year later with coach Nikos Milas will return to the top of Greece winning the 1967-1968 league season unbeaten with Georgios Amerikanos again top scorer.

1968 European Cup Winners' Cup: first European title for a Greek club

AEK was the first ever Greek team to participate in the European Champions Cup (now called the Euroleague) Final Four, in 1966, which was held in Bologna, Italy. Two years later, AEK was the first-ever Greek team, not only to reach a European Cup Final, but also to win a European title. On April 4, 1968, AEK defeated Slavia VŠ Praha by a score of 89-82, in Athens in front of 80,000 spectators (the Guinness world record in basketball attendance) in Kallimarmaron Stadium. In 1970, AEK reached the European Cup Winners' Cup semifinals, where the team was eliminated by Vichy, France, in what turned out to be the last year of the first "Golden Era" of the club's history. It was called the "Golden Era" because AEK dominated Greek Basketball during the 1960s, winning the Greek League championship 4 consecutive years in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, as well as in 1968 and 1970; 6 times in 8 years.

Since there are no official records with regards to the Greek Cup before 1975, according to some sources, AEK won the cups in years of 1967 and 1971.

1970–1990

Over the next decades, AEK lost its prestige, and managed to win only one trophy, the Greek Cup in 1981, under the direction of Coach Fred Develey, an American coach who previously was the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aris of Greece, with super star Nick Galis. In addition to winning the Greek Cup in 1981, AEK was also a finalist of the Greek Cup in 1976, 1978, 1980, 1988, and 1992, but failed to win in any of those years.

The Queen's comeback

AEK made a come back in the late 1990s, when the team played in six consecutive Greek Cup Final Fours in the years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, four consecutive Greek Cup Finals in the years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, winning the Greek Cup in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, AEK won the Greek League championship for the first time in 32 years, becoming the first team to win the Greek League championship after having lost the first two games of a 5-game playoff series. AEK lost the first two games of the series to Olympiacos, but managed to win the next 3 games, and take the series and the title 3-2. AEK also reached the Greek Playoff Finals in the years 1997, 2003, and 2005, and the Greek Cup Semi-Finals in the year 2006.

1998 Εuroleague Runners-up and 2000 Saporta Cup Winners

In this same era, AEK reached again a high level in European competitions. The team reached the FIBA Euroleague's Final Four in Barcelona in 1998, and beat Benetton Treviso by a score of 69-66, before losing in the final to Kinder Bologna, by a score of 44-58. In 2000, on April 11, AEK won their second international trophy, the Saporta Cup, by defeating Kinder Bologna 83-76. The next year, 2001, AEK reached the Euroleague semifinals, losing their playoff series there to TAU Cerámica, in 3 straight games.

Return to the Greek Basket League

In the 2011–12 season, the team played in the Greek second division, and finished in a tie for the 2nd place in the league standings, with a record of 20 wins and 10 losses. However, AEK was not promoted to the Greek first division, as they lost the tie breaker in the standings to Apollon Patras.

On July 2012, AEK was relegated down to the national B division, due to serious financial problems. The club's basketball department was legally registered as an amateur club for the first time in the club's history, and would be playing in Greece's semi-pro level. This was done when the club's major shareholder gave up his shares and left the club, so that AEK could then be registered as an amateur club, in an effort to begin the upcoming season without debt.

On April 29, 2013, AEK B.C. won against Iraklis in a playoff final, and was promoted back to the Greek A2 Division.

In the 2013–14 season, AEK once again played in the Greek Second Division. Finally, AEK was the winner of the second division championship, and won the promotion back to play in the top Greek League again, after a 3-year period of absence. AEK had a record of 23 wins and 3 losses during the Greek A2 Basketball League 2013–14 season.

AEK overcame heavy financial problems, just to return to the Greek elite level, and thus wanted to showcase its tradition and ambition in Greece and Europe. In the 2014–15 season, AEK ranked fifth in the top Greek League, with 15 wins and 11 losses.

Return to European Competitions

In the 2015–16 season, AEK returned to the European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup, for the first time since the 2006–07 season. AEK returned to the EuroCup, after having come off a return-to-form season, in which it ranked fifth overall in the first-tier Greek League, to reach the Greek League playoffs after a seven-year absence. AEK then joined the newly formed Basketball Champions League, for the 2016–17 season.

Crest, colours, supporters

In 1924, AEK adopted as their emblem the image of a double-headed eagle. When AEK was created by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the years following the Greco-Turkish War, and subsequent population exchange, the emblem and colours (yellow & black) were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople. After all, the double-headed eagle is featured in the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose headquarters are in Constantinople, and served as Imperial emblem under the Palaiologos dynasty. The emblem of the department of AEK basketball has evolved over time. During 1924–2015, the emblem of the department was similar to that of football. Since 2015, AEK B.C. has created a new version of the emblem by adding to it two stars at its center, which symbolize 2 European titles.

The colours of yellow/gold and black were adopted from AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.

Kit manufacturers and Shirt sponsors

Supporters

AEK has a large fan base all over Greece. The majority of AEK supporters are refugees or have refugee descent from Constantinople, and people from the population exchange of the Minor Asia Catastrophe. Original 21 is the largest supporters group. The first attempt to organize AEK supporters was Gate 21 (formed in 1975), which took its name from the gate in the Nikos Goumas Stadium at Nea Filadelfia, where the most hardcore fans gathered. AEK has also many supporters worldwide, most of them being Greek immigrants, in places as like North America, UK, Australia and Cyprus.

Rivalries

The main rivalries are against Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Against Panathinaikos the rivalry started not only because of both competing for titles, but also cause of the refugee ancestry of AEK fans and, by contrast, that Panathinaikos was considered the representative of the old Athenian high class society. Against Olympiakos the rivalry is mostly related with the football rivalry of the two clubs.

Arenas

Domestic competitions

Greek League

Greek Cup

Athens–Piraeus Championship

Greek League (A2)

European competitions

EuroLeague

FIBA Saporta Cup

Youth teams

Greek League

Athens–Piraeus Championship

Season-by-season

Player records

Club top scorers & Most appearances

Seasons in Greece

AEK was one of the three Greek groups involved regularly in tournaments of A1 until the first experienced relegation in 2011. The course of the tournaments in the table below.

Relationships with other clubs

AEK has links with many basketball clubs in Greece, and other countries where Greek immigrants and friend of the club live, like ΑΕΚ Stockholm B.C. in Sweden, and Greek clubs like AEK Argos B.C. and AEK Tripolis B.C.