Attending a Basketball match in Athens

Basketball match in Athens (© Copyright: V.Stolis / Panathinaikos BC)

Attending a Basketball match in Athens

Greece has a long tradition and history of success in basketball, which is the second most popular sport in the country, after football. Basketball made its appearance in Greece in 1910 and by the 1927-28 season, the first official Greek basketball championship took place but it was during the season of 1991-92 when the first basketball division A1 was formed.

The victory of the Greek National Team against Russia in 1987 led the people to the streets of Athens celebrating the first European Championship. Since then basketball evolved rapidly and with constant international success, the sport gained more fans but also many talented players and modern indoor basketball arenas. Another highlight in Greek Basketball was the 2006 FIBA World Championship in which the Greek National Team was the only team that defeated Team USA.

The Greek Basketball League (A1 National Category), which consists of 14 teams, is one of the top five national leagues in Europe and runs from October to June. The Greek professional basketball teams have a total of 28 appearances in the finals of European cup competitions, of which they have won a total of 17 trophies and they have also won two world club championships at the FIBA World Cup.

In Athens the most successful basketball clubs are Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, and AEK, and the most frequented and prestigious indoor arenas that facilitate the games are the Nikos Galis Olympic Indoor Hall –named after the legendary player who is one of Fiba's 50 greatest players and a member of the Fiba Hall of Fame - the Hellinikon Olympic Arena and the Peace and Friendship Stadium known by its acronym as SEF.