Panathinaikos

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, Panathinaikos 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, Giorgos 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 German occupation forces as a member of the resistance action group “Ivanov.”

In 1946 (the first post‑war championship) and 1947, Panathinaikos emerged as champions, with the help of players like Ioannis Lambrou, Missas Pantazopoulos, and Stelios Arvanitis (these players would later go on to win the bronze medal in EuroBasket 1949), as well as Jack Nicolaidis (nephew of Apostolos Nikolaidis).

In 1950 and 1951, Panathinaikos again emerged as champions, with key contributions from Faidon Matthaiou (considered the Patriarch of Greek basketball) and Nikos Milas. In 1954, the club repeated this success. The following five years were fruitless, as shown by the lack of championships until 1960–61, marking a period of renewal for the team.

In 1961, Panathinaikos won the Greek League championship with new leaders Georgios Vassilakopoulos, Stelios Tavoularis, and Petros Panagiotarakos. In 1962, Panathinaikos repeated as Greek League champions. That year, PAO also took part in a European-wide competition for the first time, facing Hapoel Tel Aviv in the FIBA European Champions Cup 1961–62 season.

On 23 November 1963, Panathinaikos defeated Olympiacos 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) among their ranks.

In 1969, the conquest of the Greek League championship was followed by the club’s first European success, reaching the semifinals of the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup 1968–69 season, where they were eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi.

The next year, 1970, PAO became the first Greek basketball team to include a foreign player (Craig Greenwood) in a European game.

During these golden years, Panathinaikos won 10 out of 14 Greek League 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 Ks" — the young Kontos, Koroneos, Kokolakis, and Kefalos. These players, along with Iordanidis, who acted as a link with older players, won five consecutive Greek League championships and achieved one of the greatest accomplishments of their era by reaching the semifinals of the FIBA European Champions Cup 1971–72 season, aided by American Willy Kirkland. Unfortunately, Ignis Varese, one of the giants of the era, proved an insurmountable obstacle for Panathinaikos.

Over the next four seasons, Panathinaikos captured the Greek League 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 who would contribute greatly to the team in the coming years.

In the following five years, Panathinaikos won four Greek League championships (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984) and two Greek Cups (1982, 1983). Specifically, in 1982, while coached by Kostas Politis, Panathinaikos achieved their first Greek double, as well as a 6th-place finish in the FIBA European Champions Cup 1981–82 season. During the group stage of that season, Panathinaikos finished ahead of a strong CSKA Moscow team, winning a thrilling last-second game. The club's last Greek League championship before the subsequent decline came in 1984, when Panathinaikos won the decisive match in Corfu, with Liveris Andritsos and Tom Kappos starring for the team.

Panathinaikos also had a chance to avoid the upcoming decline when they discovered Rony Seikaly, but Greek government bureaucratic issues prevented him from playing in the Greek League as a Greek citizen, despite claims that he was entitled to do so. This ultimately forced him to move to the United States to play college basketball at Syracuse.

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. However, the balance of power in the Greek League had shifted in favour of Aris, and Panathinaikos ceased to be the league leader, assuming a secondary role. Nevertheless, they remained a worthy adversary. In 1986, against all odds, they eliminated the powerful Aris from the Greek Cup at the semifinal stage. Panathinaikos then defeated Olympiacos in the final, claiming what would be their last title until 1993. During the next two seasons, PAO finished in 5th place in the Greek League, marking their worst results in many years.

In 1988, the ban on foreign players in the Greek League was lifted, allowing Panathinaikos to acquire Edgar Jones from the NBA. He proved to be a capable shooter, scorer, and rebounder, and for the next two years, he was the star of the team. Although PAO achieved significant wins over other major Greek teams, they did not secure any notable distinctions. Over the next two years, Antonio Davis, who later had a distinguished NBA career, replaced Jones as the team leader.

During this period, Panathinaikos also acquired some of the most talented young Greek players, including Fragiskos Alvertis, Nikos Oikonomou, and Christos Myriounis. Despite this promising roster, the club experienced its worst period in history, finishing 7th in the Greek League in 1991 and dropping to 8th place in 1992, leaving them outside of European-wide competition for the first time since 1967.

In 1992, Panathinaikos’ basketball department became professional under the management of the Giannakopoulos family. That summer, the club undertook a full reconstruction of the team, acquiring Nikos Galis, widely regarded as Greece’s top basketball player, who was joined by star players Stojko Vranković, Tiit Sokk, Arijan Komazec, and Sasha Volkov. Galis led Panathinaikos to a Greek Cup victory. The team reached the Greek League championship finals but ultimately lost the title after withdrawing from the decisive fourth game in protest against refereeing decisions in Game 3.

In the 1993–94 season, Galis, along with Sasha Volkov and Stojko Vranković, were key figures in Panathinaikos’ campaign, which culminated in a 3rd-place finish at the 1994 FIBA European League Final Four, the highest placement in the club’s history at that time.

The 1994–95 season began with strong prospects as Panathinaikos acquired Panagiotis Giannakis and Žarko Paspalj, making the team a favorite for all domestic titles. The club eliminated Olympiacos in a tough Greek Cup match before the start of the Greek League championship, winning 42–40 on 24 September 1994. However, after the first few games of the Greek League, Nikos Galis retired from professional basketball, having been instrumental in both the Greek Cup victory and the decisive FIBA European League qualifiers. Despite some strong performances, the team finished 3rd place in Europe. Panathinaikos also reached the Greek League finals, losing 3–2 to Olympiacos.

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, expectations for the team were very high, 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 to ever play in Europe. The head coach was Božidar Maljković. Along with Giannakis, Vranković, Alvertis, and Patavoukas, they comprised a very experienced roster. In April 1996, at the Paris Final Four, Panathinaikos became the first Greek team to lift the FIBA European League championship, defeating Banca Catalana FC Barcelona 67–66. Back in Greece, the team did not win the Greek League that season, losing to Olympiacos.

For the 1996–97 season, Maljković restructured the roster to emphasize teamwork. Panathinaikos won the 1996 FIBA Intercontinental Cup by defeating Olimpia of Venado Tuerto 2–1 in a three-game series. However, the team finished 5th in the Greek League, losing the right to participate in the next season's EuroLeague.

In the 1997–98 season, Slobodan Subotić became head coach. The club signed Dino Rađja, Byron Scott, Fanis Christodoulou, and several other players. With contributions from Alvertis, Oikonomou, and Koch, Panathinaikos captured the Greek League championship, ending a 14-year domestic title drought.

In the summer of 1998, chairman Pavlos Giannakopoulos reinforced the roster with Dejan Bodiroga, Nando Gentile, Pat Burke, and Nikos Boudouris. During the 1998–99 Greek League playoffs, Olympiacos held home-court advantage, but Panathinaikos captured the decisive away victory in the final to secure the title.

The arrival of Željko Obradović at Panathinaikos in the summer of 1999 marked the beginning of an extraordinary era for the club, establishing it as one of the strongest teams in European club basketball history.

Obradović’s first task was to build the team around Dejan Bodiroga, Panathinaikos’ absolute leader at the time. This strategy proved highly successful: Panathinaikos captured two EuroLeague titles (2000 and 2002) after three consecutive EuroLeague Finals appearances (2000–2002), and won three consecutive Greek League championships (1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01).

In 2000, at the Thessaloniki EuroLeague Final Four, Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 73–67 to win its second EuroLeague title. In 2002, at the 2002 EuroLeague Final Four in Bologna, Panathinaikos defeated hosts Kinder Bologna 89–83, securing its third EuroLeague trophy.

Despite these successes, Panathinaikos did not win the Greek Cup during this period. Notable players included Rebrača, Gentile, Middleton, Alvertis, Kattash, Kutluay, and Fotsis. Panathinaikos’ Greek League dominance was interrupted in 2002 — the same year they won their third EuroLeague title — and the departure of Bodiroga necessitated a roster renewal.

The 2002–03 season marked the start of Obradović’s restructuring of Panathinaikos. He returned the team to the top of Greek basketball, eventually leading them to nine consecutive Greek League championships (2003‑04 through 2010‑11), six domestic doubles, and two triple crowns (Greek League, Greek Cup, and EuroLeague) in subsequent years, establishing a true dynasty. With Bodiroga gone, the team shifted from a star-centric model to a system focused on teamwork. Players such as Lakovič, Alvertis, Diamantidis, Fotsis, Tsartsaris, Batiste, and later Spanoulis, Šiškauskas, and Jasikevičius prioritized team success over individual accolades, transforming Panathinaikos into a title-winning machine independent of any single superstar.

At the 2007 EuroLeague Final Four, held on their home court at Telekom Center Athens in Athens, Panathinaikos defeated defending champions CSKA Moscow 93–91 to win their fourth EuroLeague title. The two teams met again in the 2009 EuroLeague Final Four final in Berlin, where Panathinaikos won 73–71 for their fifth EuroLeague trophy. On 14 December 2009, Panathinaikos was voted the top Greek sports team of the year, while Obradović was voted top coach.

At the 2011 EuroLeague Final Four in Barcelona, Panathinaikos defeated Montepaschi Siena 77–69 in the semifinals, with Calathes contributing 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals. In the final, Panathinaikos overcame Maccabi Tel Aviv 78–70, securing their sixth EuroLeague title and further cementing their status as Greece’s “Great Club.”

After the departure of Obradović, Panathinaikos' new head coach, Argiris Pedoulakis, was forced to make extensive changes to the team, adding 12 new players 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 Regal in a five-game series. Panathinaikos won their 14th Greek Cup by beating Olympiacos in the final with a three-point difference (81–78). During the same season, Panathinaikos managed to defeat Olympiacos twice on their home court in the Greek League Finals, winning the championship for the 33rd time in the club’s history.

Since Dimitris Giannakopoulos became chairman of Panathinaikos, he made repeated efforts to secure marketing partnerships with Asian corporations. The first step came when Panathinaikos announced the signing of Chinese basketball player Shang Ping, making them the first European club to feature a Chinese player on its roster. On 12 September 2013, Panathinaikos arrived in Guangzhou, becoming the first European team to travel to China by air for a basketball series. The following day, 13 September, Panathinaikos made European basketball history again, becoming the first European club to face a CBA team. They also became the first European team to defeat a Chinese team, the Foshan Dralions, with a score of 66–67.

On 8 March 2014, following fan dissatisfaction with the team’s performance in the EuroLeague, the club announced the dismissal of head coach Argiris Pedoulakis. Fragiskos Alvertis, a legendary figure of the club, was appointed interim caretaker coach. Under his guidance, Panathinaikos achieved another domestic double, defeating Olympiacos in both the Greek Basketball Cup and the Greek Basket League Finals. Shortly afterward, Duško Ivanović was appointed as the club’s new head coach.

On 5 April 2015, Panathinaikos defeated Apollon Patras in the Greek Cup Final with a score of 53–68, having previously overcome Olympiacos and PAOK in earlier rounds. The team also reached the EuroLeague playoffs but lost in the Greek League Finals to Olympiacos 0–3.

On 30 June 2015, Sasha Đjorđjević was announced as the club’s new head coach. That same summer, Panathinaikos signed Greek point guard Nick Calathes and Serbian center Miroslav Raduljica. The team’s debut under the new leadership was promising, as Panathinaikos defeated Olympiacos away in the Greek Basketball Cup with a score of 64–70 on 8 October 2015. On 6 March 2016, they won the Greek Cup for a record 17th time (and fifth consecutive season), defeating Faros Keratsiniou 101–52.

On 19 April 2016, Sasha Đjorđjević was replaced by Argyris Pedoulakis, who returned as head coach. Nevertheless, Panathinaikos lost to Olympiacos in the Greek League Finals 1–3.

Following the retirement of Dimitris Diamantidis, the club increased its budget to sign new key players, including Mike James, K.C. Rivers, Chris Singleton, and Ioannis Bourousis. During this period, Panathinaikos also secured significant sponsorship deals, most notably with OPAP, Greece’s largest betting company. The appointment of Xavi Pascual as head coach marked the beginning of a new era for the team.

In the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons, under Pascual, Panathinaikos won two consecutive Greek League Championships against Olympiacos and the 2017 Greek Basketball Cup against Aris. They also reached the EuroLeague playoffs both years, facing the eventual champions (Fenerbahçe in 2017 and Real Madrid in 2018), but were eliminated before the Final Four.

In the 2017 Greek League Finals, Panathinaikos defeated Olympiacos 3–2, winning the decisive game away to secure their first league title in two years. The following season, Panathinaikos became the only team in Europe to complete their domestic regular season undefeated, later winning the Finals once again over Olympiacos 3–2.

Despite the challenges that followed Obradović’s departure and the fluctuations in the club’s finances, Panathinaikos remains the only European basketball team to have won at least one title every season for 27 consecutive years, since 1996.

After two and a half seasons, Panathinaikos parted ways with coach Xavi Pascual on 20 December 2018. Pascual paid the price for the team's poor performance and losing streak during the 2018–19 EuroLeague. Georgios Vovoras served as Panathinaikos' interim head coach for the second time in his career, as the club reached an agreement with Hall of Famer Rick Pitino to become the team's new head coach until the end of the 2018–19 season.

Under coach Pitino, Panathinaikos transformed into a stronger team, making an impressive comeback in the EuroLeague, finishing sixth and reaching the playoffs. There, they faced defending champions Real Madrid and were eliminated before the Final Four. The season ended successfully, with Panathinaikos winning both the Greek Cup—defeating PAOK in the final—and the Greek Basket League Championship, sweeping Promitheas Patras 3–0 in the finals.

Panathinaikos offered Pitino a contract for the following season, and although he was willing to stay in Greece, family matters required him to return home. On 24 June 2019, Panathinaikos signed a two-year contract with Greek coach Argyris Pedoulakis, marking his third stint as the team's head coach in seven years. Pedoulakis's third stint ended on 15 November 2019, when Panathinaikos dismissed him after poor EuroLeague performance and elimination from the Greek Cup. Georgios Vovoras once again served as interim head coach.

On 26 November 2019, Rick Pitino officially returned to Panathinaikos, having resolved the family matter that had kept him away, and signed a one-and-a-half-year contract to serve as the team's head coach until summer 2021. However, on 20 March 2020, Panathinaikos and Pitino mutually agreed to end their cooperation due to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the suspension of play in both the EuroLeague and Greek Basket League. Pitino returned to his family in the United States and later became the head coach of the Iona College team. Once again, Georgios Vovoras served as interim head coach for the fourth time.

In the summer of 2020, Panathinaikos went through major changes. On 10 June, the owner of the team, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, held a press conference where he announced that he would no longer be involved with Panathinaikos and that the club was up for sale for a price of 25 million euros. As a result, 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 large contracts could not 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 in various roles, Manos Papadopoulos, who had been 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 26 June 2020, Panathinaikos announced that the club's sports management would 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 challenging upcoming season. After almost seven months, and due to the team's poor performance, Panathinaikos and coach Vovoras parted ways on 4 January 2021. Kostas Charalampidis served as interim coach for a few days, until 14 January 2021, when Panathinaikos announced Oded Kattash as the club's new head coach on a one-and-a-half-year contract. With coach Kattash, Panathinaikos managed to win both the 2020–21 Greek Basket League and 2020–21 Greek Cup. However, on 24 June 2021, the team parted ways with him. Two days later, on 26 June 2021, Panathinaikos appointed Dimitris Priftis as their new head coach on a three-year deal. Priftis was no stranger to the team, having served as an assistant coach in 2014 under then head coach Fragiskos Alvertis.

On 12 April 2022, after a home defeat in a Greek Basket League 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 with the club as team manager, but he declined, leaving Panathinaikos for the first time in his life after 32 years with the club. Former Panathinaikos coach Argyris Pedoulakis was immediately appointed as the team's new technical director, responsible for the team and the hiring of a new coach. On 14 April 2022, Panathinaikos announced the return of head coach George Vovoras for the remainder of the season, with former Lavrio B.C. head coach Christos Serelis joining as his assistant. According to the team's official press release, the massive changes were due to the failure to "create a basic core of athletes and build a team for today and especially for tomorrow," as well as economic challenges based on maintaining a balanced budget.

In June 2022, Dimitris Giannakopoulos announced his comeback to Panathinaikos BC.

The 2023-24 season started with Panathinaikos appointing Ergin Ataman as its new coach for two years. The deal was made official on 20 June 2023. Following this, Panathinaikos signed Kostas Sloukas, who instantly became the captain of the team after leaving Olympiacos. They also signed Juancho Hernangomez, Mathias Lessort, Ioannis Papapetrou, Jerian Grant, Dinos Mitoglou, Luca Vildoza, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Dimitris Moraitis, Aleksander Balcerowski, and, a few months later, their upcoming top-scorer Kendrick Nunn.

In the 2023–24 EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished second in the regular season and returned to the playoffs after a five-year absence. In the playoffs, Panathinaikos beat Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning the quarterfinal series 3–2. They qualified for the EuroLeague Final Four. where the Greens defeated Fenerbahçe in the semifinal. They then blew out Real Madrid in the final, claiming their seventh EuroLeague title. Kostas Sloukas was crowned MVP of the Final Four.

About a month later, Panathinaikos also won the 2023–24 Greek Basket League. They beat Olympiacos 3–2 in the finals, coming back from a 0–2 deficit in the first two games. Kostas Sloukas was again named MVP of the finals.

Although the 2024-25 season wasn't as successful as the previous one as the team was riddled with key player serious injuries such as Mathias Lessort, the team still finished the Greek League regular season undefeated. Panathinaikos also won the Greek Cup on 16 February 2025 defeating again their rival Olympiacos in the final. At the end of the game, Kostas Sloukas was once more named MVP of the final.

In the 2024–25 EuroLeague, Panathinaikos finished the regular season in third place and qualified for the playoffs. Kendrick Nunn won both the EuroLeague MVP and the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy. In the Euroleague playoffs, Panathinaikos beat Anadolu Efes 3–2 and qualified for the Final Four. At Abu Dhabi, where the Final Four took place, Panathinaikos faced Fenerbahçe in the semifinal. They lost to the eventual champions.

The 2025–26 season started with high hopes for Panathinaikos following the signing of key additions such as T. J. Shorts, Richaun Holmes, and Nikos Rogkavopoulos.

The team did not compete in the 2025 Greek Basketball Super Cup due to the scheduling conflict with the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament in Australia. The Hellenic Basketball Federation (E.O.K.) refused to adjust the date despite being aware of the tournament for months, and the club was fined €20,000.

The team quickly ran into significant depth issues in the frontcourt, as Mathias Lessort did not return from his previous injury and both Richaun Holmes and Ömer Yurtseven sustained injuries early in the season. To address the sudden shortage of centers while assessing the recovery timelines of the injured players, Panathinaikos signed Kenneth Faried to a two-month emergency contract. This measure allowed the team to stabilize the roster and maintain competitiveness during the early stages of the season while waiting for the potential return of the sidelined centers.