Team colors Green, White Team manager Fragiskos Alvertis Head coach Xavi Pascual Ownership Dimitrios Giannakopoulos | President Manos Papadopoulos Location Athens, Greece Founded 1922 | |
Nickname To τριφύλλι (The Shamrock)
Οι πράσινοι (The Greens)
Εξάστερος (The Six-Starred)
Παντοκράτορας (Ruler of all, Almighty) History Panathinaikos B.C.
(1919–present) Arena Capacity 18,500
(fan seating)
18,800
(with media seats)
18,989
(with VIP seats) Arena/Stadium O.A.C.A. Olympic Indoor Hall Mascot Panathinaikos B.C. Mr. Green Leagues EuroLeague, Greek Basket League, Greek Basketball Cup Profiles | ||
Panathinaikos B.C. (Greek: ΚΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός), known for sponsorship reasons as Panathinaikos B.C. Superfoods, and also known simply as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, Panathinaikos BSA Athens, is the professional basketball team of the major Athens-based multi-sport club Panathinaikos A.O.. It is owned by the billionaire Giannakopoulos family.
Contents
- Basketball in Greece 19181945
- Postwar history 19461970
- The Golden Age 19701984
- The decline of 19851992
- Return to distinction 19921995
- European Intercontinental and Greek Champions 19961998
- Obradovi era 19992012
- Post Obradovi period 20122016
- The retirement of Diamantidis New era 2016present
- National competitions
- European competitions
- Worldwide competitions
- Crest and colours
- Sponsors and Manufacturers
- Current sponsorships
- Arena
- Supporters
- Seasons
- Less significant European successes
- Friendly games against NBA and Chinese teams
- Notable players
- Notable coaches
- Top players in games points and rebounds in the A1 Division since the 198687 season
- Presidential history
- References
The parent athletic club was founded in 1908, while the basketball team was founded in 1919, being one of the oldest in the country of 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 among the best in Europe, creating its own dynasty. They have won thirty-five Greek Basket League Championships, eighteen Greek Cups, nine Doubles (all records), six EuroLeague Championships, one Intercontinental Cup 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 titles (twice for five seasons in a row, from 2004 to 2009, and then from 2012 to 2016). The team plays in the Olympic Indoor Hall, which has a capacity of 18,989 for basketball games.
Among the well-known top class players that have played with the club over the years are: Fragiskos Alvertis, Edgar Jones, Antonio Davis, Nikos Galis, Stojko Vranković, Arijan Komazec, Alexander Volkov, Žarko Paspalj, Tiit Sokk, Panagiotis Giannakis, Dominique Wilkins, Fanis Christodoulou, Marcelo Nicola, Hugo Sconochini, Byron Dinkins, Byron Scott, Dino Rađa, Dejan Bodiroga, Oded Kattash, Ferdinando Gentile, Željko Rebrača, Johnny Rogers, Antonis Fotsis, İbrahim Kutluay, Jaka Lakovič, Pepe Sánchez, Kostas Tsartsaris, Mike Batiste, Dimitris Diamantidis, Nick Calathes, Vassilis Spanoulis, Dejan Tomašević, Sani Bečirovič, Tony Delk, Drew Nicholas, Jason Kapono, Stéphane Lasme, Roko Ukić, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramunas Siskauskas, Robertas Javtokas, Jonas Maciulis, John Salley, Ioannis Bourousis and Nikola Peković. Such players, the successful management of former long-time presidents Pavlos Giannakopoulos and Thanasis Giannakopoulos, and the long-time guidance of the most successful coach in EuroLeague history, Željko Obradović, have made Panathinaikos 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, 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 hold a long-term rivalry with Olympiacos, and matches between the two teams are referred to as the "Derby of the eternal enemies".
Basketball in Greece (1918–1945)
Panathinaikos started as a football club in 1908. In 1919, basketball was still unknown in Greece. During that period Giorgos Kalafatis with other athletes participated in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris and attended basketball games between the Allies of World War I. 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.
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, 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 that followed, Dimitris Giannatos (founding member of the basketball team) was executed by the Nazis 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 Giannis Lambrou, Missas Pantazopoulos, 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 champions once again with the help of great athletes Faidon Matthaiou (considered the Patriarch of Greek basketball) and Nikos Milas. 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 championship with new leaders Giorgos Vassilakopoulos, Stelios Tavoularis and Petros Panagiotarakos. In 1962 Panathinaikos made the repeat and was again the Greek champion. That was also the year that PAO took part for the first time in a European competition facing Hapoel Tel Aviv for the European Championship.
In the 23rd of November 1963, Panathinaikos beat Olympiacos 90-48 for 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 champions, with Giorgos Kolokithas (one of the greatest basketball players of his era) in their ranks. In 1969, the conquest of the Championship was followed by the first European success of the club, the entrance in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup, where they were eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi. The next year, 1970, PAO were 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 championships with their great leader and scorer Apostolos Kontos.
During this period, Kostas Mourouzis, nicknamed the fox of coaching, managed the team of the 4-K (the young Kontos, Koroneos, Kokolakis and Kefalos). These players, along with Iordanidis, who functioned as a link with older players, won 5 consecutive championships and made the greatest accomplishment of their time by participating in the semifinals of the European Championship, aided by American Willy Kirkland. Unfortunately, Ignis Varese, one of the giants of the era, proved an insurmountable obstacle for Panathinaikos.
Over the next 4 seasons Panathinaikos captured the championship once in 1977 and also won their first Greek Cup in 1979. They acquired Memos Ioannou in 1974 and Greek-American David Stergakos in 1979 (a player that would contribute greatly in the coming years).
The five years that followed, Panathinaikos won 4 Championships (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984) and two Cups (1982, 1983). More specifically, in 1982, coached by Kostas Politis, Panathinaikos succeeded in winning their first double as well as placing 5th in Europe. Before this, the team got the better they could from a strong CSKA team in the last seconds of a thriller match. The last championship, before the decline that followed, was in 1984 when Panathinaikos won the big game title in Corfu, starring Liveris Andritsos and Tom Kappos.
Panathinaikos had a great chance to avoid the upcoming decline when they discovered Rony Seikaly, but bureaucratic problems prevented him from playing in the Greek Championship as a Greek citizen, despite allegations that he was entitled to do so, which forced him to move to the USA.
The decline of 1985–1992
In 1985, PAO finished in 3rd place in the Greek League. Stergakos, Ioannou, Vidas, Andritsos and Koroneos – who left the following year – were the key players. The balance however had now tilted in favour of Aris and Panathinaikos ceased to be a leader 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 win Olympiacos in the final and conquer their last title until 1993. During the next 2 seasons, PAO would finish in 5th place (worst result since many years ago).
In 1988, the ban on using foreign players in the league was lifted and Panathinaikos were able to acquire Edgar Jones from the NBA. He was a capable shooter, scorer and rebounder and for the next 2 years was the star of the team. Although PAO achieved significant wins over the other major Greek teams, they did not manage any notable distinction. The next two years, Antonio Davis, who later made a great career in the NBA, replaced Jones as the leader of the team stats. At this point of 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, finishing 7th in 1991 and dropping to 8th position in 1992, which left them for the first time outside Europe since 1967.
Return to distinction (1992–1995)
In 1992, the basketball department became professional under the management of the Giannakopoulos family. In the summer of 1992, Panathinaikos attempted a full reconstruction of the team. Nikos Galis, 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 Championship final, where they lost despite home advantage. The next season, 1993–94, Nikos Galis, along with Alexander Volkov and Stojko Vranković, led Panathinaikos to 3rd place in Europe for the first time in the club's history, although they did not manage any title back home.
The 1994–95 season started with the best conditions as the club acquired Panagiotis Giannakis and Žarko Paspalj. PAO was again the favourite for all domestic titles. The club started by eliminating Olympiacos from the Greek Cup in a very tough game before the start of the Championship. However, after the first games for the Greek Championship, Nikos Galis, the player that had led PAO in the cup game against Olympiacos and also in the decisive game for the EuroLeague qualifiers, stopped his basketball career. As a consequence, the team, despite playing some great games, only managed to retain 3rd place in Europe and compete in the Greek finals.
European, Intercontinental and Greek Champions (1996–1998)
During the years 1996–98, Panathinaikos fulfilled all of their objectives by winning the European Championship, the Intecontinental cup and the Greek championship (in this order).
In 1996, the expectations in the team had risen a lot, as it was imperative for Panathinaikos to obtain a significant title. In the summer of 1995, they acquired Dominique Wilkins, one of the top American players ever played in Europe. The coach of the team was Božidar Maljković. 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 European Championship (now called the EuroLeague), beating FC Barcelona in the tournament 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 title, losing again the title by Olympiacos.
The next season, Maljković removed all the stars from the roster in an attempt of assembling a squad based on teamwork. With the start of the season, PAO were crowned FIBA Intercontinental Cup champions, prevailing by 2–1 wins in a 3-game series over Olimpia de Venado Tuerto, the South American League champions. Unfortunately, the restructuring of the team failed, and Panathinaikos failed to participate in the Final Four to defend their European title. Moreover, they finished in 5th place in the championship, thus losing the right to participate in next season's EuroLeague.
In the next season, Slobodan Subotić assumed technical leadership, and convinced Dino Rađa to come to PAO. This great transfer was accompanied by Byron Scott and Fanis Christodoulou, and with the help of Alvertis, Oikonomou and Koch, Panathinaikos finally won the Greek league after 14 years.
The 1998–99 season proved very important for Panathinaikos, as Olympiacos, who had gained home advantage, were prepared to return to the top. It was at the last game of the 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 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 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, 2002,) after 3 consecutive EuroLeague Finals appearances (2000–2002), and also won 3 consecutive Greek championships (1999–2001). In 2000, at the Thessaloniki EuroLeague Final Four, Panathinaikos became Champions of Europe for the second time, beating Macabbi Tel Aviv, 73–67, in the final. In 2002, in Bologna, at the 2002 Euroleague Final Four, Panathinaikos won the most prestigious European trophy for the third time, 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 finals. Rebrača, Gentile, Middleton, Alvertis, Kattash, Kutluay, and Fotsis were some of the players who excelled during these years. The dominance in the Greek league was finally interrupted in 2002, the year that PAO won their 3rd European Championship. Also at the end of the year, there were many significant changes, starting with the withdrawal of Bodiroga, making a renewal 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 Championships in a row (2003–11), with 6 doubles in Greece, and 2 triple crowns (i.e. Greek double plus EuroLeague champions) in the next years, thus creating a dynasty. 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, 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, in Athens, Panathinaikos became European Champions for the fourth time, beating the defending champions CSKA Moscow 93–91 in the final.
The same teams (PAO and CSKA) competed in the final of the 2009 Euroleague Final Four in Berlin, where Panathinaikos won the trophy again, for the fifth time in their history. The score was 73–71. On December 14, 2009, Panathinaikos was voted the top Greek sports team of 2009, by the Sports Journalists Association, with 1,291 votes. In addition, coach Želimir Obradović was voted the top coach, with 1,399 votes.
At the 2011 Euroleague Final Four in Barcelona, Panathinaikos, after a great performance by Calathes in the semifinal against Siena (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 (2012–2016)
After the departure of Obradović, Panathinaikos' newv 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, and NBA players Jason Kapono and Marcus Banks. Team captains Dimitris Diamantidis and Kostas Tsartsaris led the rebuilding effort for the Greens, who reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals, only to fall to FC Barcelona in a 5-game series. Panathinaikos won their 14th Greek Cup, by beating Olympiacos 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 finals, conquering the Greek A1 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. 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, 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 fist European team to ever face a Chinese team. In addition, Panathinaikos became the first European team to win against a Chinese team, Foshan Dralions, with a score of 66-67.
On 8 March 2014, due to the fans' dissatisfaction with the team's bad record in 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 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, Panathinaikos announced the recruitment of Duško Ivanović to be their new head coach.
On 5 April 2015, Panathinaikos beat Apollon Patras, 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 and PAOK.
On 30 June 2015, Aleksandar Đorđević was announced by the team as the club's new head coach. Panathinaikos was able to sign Greek point guard Nick Calathes and Serbian center Miroslav Raduljica. The debut of the team was dreamy, as on 8 October 2015, Panathinaikos beat and eliminated Olympiacos, in an away match for the Greek Basketball Cup, 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 Faros Keratsiniou.
On 19 April 2016, Aleksandar Đorđević was replaced by Argyris Pedoulakis once again for the team's head coaching position. Despite that, the team lost against Olympiacos in the finals of the Greek League, with a 3-1 series score.
The retirement of Diamantidis. New era (2016–present)
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, Chris Singleton, and Ioannis Bourousis. Many sponsorship deals were also achieved at the same time, such as the one which changed the team's name to Panathinaikos B.C. Superfoods (sponsorship name), as well as the deal that made OPAP, Greece's biggest betting firm, the team's main sponsor. The appoinment of Xavi Pascual as head coach, started a new era for the club.
National competitions
European competitions
Worldwide competitions
Crest and colours
The trifolium is the emblem of the team; symbol of harmony, unity, nature and good luck. The main colours of the team since its foundation are green and white (green for health, nature, such as physiolatry, and white for virtue). Alternative colours also used include black, lime uniforms and/or elements of gold.
Since 1992, year in which the basketball department became professional, Panathinaikos BC 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
Arena
Panathinaikos' long-time home court is the Olympic Indoor Hall, which is the largest indoor venue in Greece. It is located in Marousi, and is part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. The venue was completed in 1995, and renovated for the 2004 Summer Olympics. It is considered to be one of the biggest and most modern indoor sports arenas in all of Europe. The seating capacity is 18,989, however the arena can hold up to a capacity of more than 30,000, including standing room.
Supporters
The team, which is famous for their fans' passionate support, also set a record (broken in 2009) for the highest home game attendance in the history of the EuroLeague, which is 20,000 fans, achieved at a home match in OAKA, against Benetton Treviso, on March 29, 2006, for the second phase of the 2005–06 Euroleague.
An attendance of 18,900 fans has also been achieved three times, in home matches of the Greens, against Efes Pilsen in 2005, and TAU Cerámica (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 match. PAO was the opponent for Partizan Belgrade, when it drew 22,567 to Belgrade Arena for a 2009 match. Τhe record was broken again on April 18, 2013, on the season's 4th EuroLeague Game (2012–13 Euroleague) against FC Barcelona Bàsquet. It was estimated that the number of viewers reached 30,000 (over 25,000 officially).
"Mr. Green" is the official mascot of Panathinaikos B.C. "Born" in 2006, he is a muscular basketball player, with a basketball for a head. He entertains fans of all age groups during game breaks, gives away presents, and participates in all entertainment events inside the court.
Seasons
Scroll down to see more.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 Cup Winners' Cup (1969, 1998), as well as the road to the semi-finals of the Champions' Cup for the season 1971–72 (eliminated by Ignis Varese (78–70, 55–69). In the 1981–82 season, Panathinaikos participated in the finals of the Champions' Cup of that time, eliminating the teams of CSKA Moscow and Levski-Spartak, in that order.
Friendly games against NBA and Chinese teams
Panathinaikos has twice made a tour in the United States, for friendly games. In 2003, when they played against the NBA team the Toronto Raptors, and in 2007. On October 11, 2007, Panathinaikos played against the NBA's Houston Rockets, and on October 18, 2007, they played against the defending NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs.
Panathinaikos has also twice made a tour in China for friendly games. In 2013, when they played against Foshan Long Lions. On September 28, 2015, Panathinaikos played against Zhejiang Lions, and on 30 September 2015, they played against the Guangdong Tigers.
Notable players
Listed as Green Legends in Panathinaikos B.C. site:
Mentioned by Panathinaikos B.C. as players who have left their mark in basketball history:
For a more extensive list see Panathinaikos B.C. notable players
Notable coaches
Top players in games, points and rebounds 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.
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, with its own President.