Greek Basket League

Greek Basket League

Current season, competition or edition: 2015–16 Greek Basket League
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1927
Inaugural season	1927–28
CEO	Giorgos Chalvatzakis
No. of teams	14
Country	Greece
Continent	FIBA Europe (Europe)
Most recent champion(s)	Olympiacos (11th title)
Most titles	Panathinaikos (34 titles)
TV partner(s)	OTE Sport Nova Sports
Level on pyramid	1st Tier (Greece)
Relegation to	Greek A2 Basketball League - 2nd Tier
Domestic cup(s)	Greek Cup
Official website	Esake.gr (English) Esake.gr (Greek) Live Match Center (English)

The league's official HEBA logo.

The Greek Basket League's alternate logo.

The Greek Basket League (GBL), often referred to as the Greek Basketball League, Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), is the 1st tier professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA (Greek: ΕΣΑΚΕ). The league is also known as the Greek Basket League Scratch (Greek: Σκρατς) for sponsorship reasons.

It is ranked as one of the top 3 level national domestic leagues in European basketball by the European national basketball league rankings. It consists of 14 teams and runs from October to June, with teams playing 26 games each during the regular season, and the top 8 teams then competing in the playoffs. The first official Greek Basketball Championship was held in the 1927–28 season.

History

Basketball first came to Greece in the year 1910. By the 1927–28 season, the first official championship began. There have been four different official championship eras. The first era was the Panhellenic Championship (Πανελλήνιο Πρωτάθλημα), which lasted from the 1927–28 to 1962–63 seasons, when the champions of every regional district played each other to decide the Greek Champion. The second era started in the 1963–64 season, when the A National Category (Α' Εθνική Κατηγορία) was founded.

In 1969, the Hellenic Basketball Federation (E.O.K.) took over the duties of overseeing the competition, and did so until the year 1992. The third era of the championship existed between the 1986–87 and 1991–92 seasons, when the first division A1 National Category (Α1 Εθνική Κατηγορία), with a regular season and playoffs, and the second division A2 National Category (Α2 Εθνική Κατηγορία) were formed. The fourth era of the championship began in the 1992–93 season, when the Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association (HEBA) took over the competition and renamed the first division the HEBA A1 (ΕΣΑΚΕ Α1). The league was then renamed to Greek Basket League, starting with the 2010-11 season.

The Greek League has been one of the most competitive basketball leagues in Europe through the years, and it was widely regarded as the second best national domestic league in the world, after only the NBA, in the 1990s decade. It currently ranks among the best national domestic leagues in the world (excluding the NBA), such as Liga ACB in Spain and VTB United League (counts as the domestic league for Russian clubs). It is considered one of the top 3 European national domestic leagues under the European national basketball league rankings. The league has several great powers which belong to the most traditional European basketball clubs, especially the Euroleague giants Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Other clubs that have had significant successes throughout the history of Greek basketball are AEK and Aris. Along with PAOK, the aforementioned clubs are the most successful and widely supported in Greece.

Despite the championship having been contested 74 times, only nine different clubs have won it so far. The dominating club has always been Panathinaikos, having claimed the championship 34 times. Since the foundation of the A National Category in the 1963–64 season, only two teams have participated in every season of the competition, Panathinaikos and Aris.

Promotion and relegation

The championship, in its current form, has been organized since the 1992–93 season by the Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association (HEBA). 28 pro Greek basketball teams are split into two different divisions. The first division championship, which is called the "A1", in which 14 teams compete for the Greek National Championship, and the second division championship, which is called the "A2", in which 14 teams compete for the second division crown. The bottom two place finishing teams each year in the A1 division standings are relegated to the A2 division, due to poor performance. While conversely, the top two teams each year from the A2 division are promoted to the A1 division, due to good performance.

Arena standards

Currently, Greek clubs must play their home games in arenas that seat at least 1,000 people in order to play Greek domestic league matches. Several Greek clubs have two arenas that they primarily use. One for domestic Greek League matches, and one for European-wide matches.

Greek clubs that play in the Euroleague or the Eurocup, must play their home games in those leagues in arenas that fit the arena standards of those leagues. Currently, a 5,000 seat arena minimum for the Euroleague, and a 3,000 seat arena minimum for the Eurocup.

Current clubs

The clubs for the 2015–16 season:

• *Arenas that meet Euroleague Basketball Company European arena requirements, and where the clubs play their home games at if they are competing in the Euroleague and/or the Eurocup.

Athens

Athens teams
AEK
Nea Kifissia
Panathinaikos

Aris
PAOK

Rethymno

Apollon

Arkadikos

Trikala

Koroivos

Lavrio

Kolossos

Kavala

Olympiacos

2015–16 Greek Basket League season club locations.

Championship history

• 1927–28 to 1962–63  Panhellenic Championship
• 1963–64 to 1985–86  A National Category
• 1986–87 to 1991–92  A1 National Category
• 1992–93 to 2009–10  HEBA A1
• 2010–11 to present  Greek Basket League

Title holders

Performance by club

Titles	Club	Years
34	Panathinaikos	1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14
11	Olympiacos	1948–49, 1959–60, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2011–12, 2014–15
10	Aris	1929–30, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
8	AEK	1957–58, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1969–70, 2001–02
6	Panellinios	1928–29, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57
2	Iraklis	1927–28, 1934–35
	PAOK	1958–59, 1991–92
1	Near East	1935–36
	Athens University	1936–37

A1 Finals

A1 finals participation by Club

Club	W	L	Total
Panathinaikos	15	5	20
Olympiacos	7	12	19
Aris	4	0	4
PAOK	1	6	7
AEK	1	3	4
Panionios	0	1	1
Maroussi	0	1	1

Number of seasons in the A and A1 National Categories by club (1963–64 - 2014–15)

The number of times that clubs participated in the top A National Category, while it existed from the 1963–64 season to the 1985–86 season. As well as the number of times that clubs have participated in the top A1 National Category, since it began with the 1986–87 season. Only two clubs, Panathinaikos and Aris, have played in the top division every year since its formation.

• 1963–64 to 1985–86: A National Category
• 1986–87 to 1991–92: A1 National Category
• 1992–93 to 2009–10: HEBA A1
• 2010–11 to present: Greek Basket League

The best regular season records in the history of the A and A1 National Categories (1963–2015)

^[4][5]

• 1963–64 to 1985–86: A National Category
• 1986–87 to 1991–92: A1 National Category
• 1992–93 to 2009–10: HEBA A1
• 2010–11 to present: Greek Basket League

The A and A1 National Category (1963–2015)

The best overall season records of the HEBA A1 (1992–2015)

Greek basketball clubs in European-wide competitions

Euroleague

• The years in which clubs from the Greek Basketball League competed in Europe's first tier continental-wide professional club basketball competition, the Euroleague:

Rank	Club	Appearances	Years
1.	Panathinaikos	36	1962, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001†, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
2.	Olympiacos	27	1961, 1977, 1979, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
3.	AEK	14	1959, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
4.	Aris	11	1980, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2007, 2008
5.	PAOK	7	1960, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
6.	Iraklis	2	1996, 2001†
7.	Panionios	2	1997, 2009
8.	Peristeri	2	2001, 2002
9.	Panellinios	1	1958
10.	Maroussi	1	2010

• Panathinaikos has made 11 modern-era Euroleague Final Four appearances (with 12 top 4 place finishes overall, including the 1971–72 season), has played in the Euroleague Final 7 times, and has won the Euroleague championship 6 times. Olympiacos has made 9 Euroleague Final Four appearances, has played in the Euroleague Final 7 times, and has won the Euroleague championship three times. AEK Athens has made 1 modern-era Euroleague Final Four appearance (with 3 top 4 finishes overall, including the 1965–66 season, and the 2000–01 Euroleague Basketball season), and has played in the Euroleague Final once. Aris has made 3 Euroleague Final Four appearances. PAOK has also played in the Euroleague Final Four once.

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Panathinaikos	1995–96, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11	2001†	1971–72, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2004–05, 2011–12	1981–82*, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
Olympiacos	1996–97, 2011–12, 2012–13	1993–94, 1994–95, 2009–10, 2014–15	1998–99, 2008–09	1978–79*, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2013–14
AEK		1997–98	1965–66, 2000–01	1964–65
Aris			1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90	1990–91
PAOK			1992–93

• *Top 6 (semifinal group stage)
• † FIBA SuproLeague

FIBA Saporta Cup

• Greek clubs that finished in the top 8 places of the now defunct Saporta Cup (1966–67 to 2001–02), which was the second-tier European-wide continental competition:

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
AEK	1967–68, 1999–00		1969–70	1971–72, 1988–89
PAOK	1990–91	1991-92, 1995–96	1989–90	1984–85
Aris	1992–93		1993–94, 1998–99
Maroussi	2000–01
Panathinaikos			1968–69, 1997–98	1979–80, 1983–84
Iraklis			1994–95, 1996–97	1999–00
Olympiacos				1975–76
Panionios				2001–02

FIBA Korać Cup

• Greek clubs that finished in the top 8 places of the now defunct Korać Cup (1971–72 to 2001–02), which was the third-tier European-wide continental competition:

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Aris	1996–97		1984–85	1997–98
PAOK	1993–94
Panionios			1993–94, 1998–99	1989–90, 1992–93, 1994–95
Maroussi			2001–02	1999–00
Peristeri				1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98

Eurocup

• Greek clubs that finished in the top 8 places of the Eurocup (2002–03 – present), which is the second-tier European-wide continental competition:

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Aris		2005–06		2009–10
Makedonikos		2004–05
Panellinios			2009–10
Maroussi				2004–05
PAOK				2004–05

Awards, statistics & players

Nikos Galis, 11x Greek League Top Scorer, and 5x Greek League MVP.

Dimitris Diamantidis, 6x Greek League MVP.

Sponsors and supporters

• OPAP
• Scratch
• Champion
• Spalding
• Cosmote
• Germanos
• Visit Greece
• Gatorade

See also

• Greek Cup
• Greek A2 Basketball League
• HEBA Greek All-Star Game
• HEBA
• Basketball in Greece

References

External links

• Official Twitter Account (Greek)
• Official website (English)
• Official website (Greek)
• Live Match Center (English)
• Euroleague.net HEBA - Greek League Page
• Official YouTube Channel
• Official Hellenic Basketball Federation Site (Greek)
• Basketblog.gr (Greek)
• Greekhoopz.com (Greek)
• Greekbball.com (Greek)

Basketball in Greece Hellenic Basketball Federation National Teams Men's A Men's B Women's A Men's Under-21 Men's Under-20 Men's Under-19 Men's Under-18 Men's Under-17 Men's Under-16 League Competitions Greek Basket League Greek A2 Basketball League Greek B Basketball League Greek C Basketball League Greek Women's Basketball League Greek A2 Women's Basketball Greek Basketball League System Cup Competitions Greek Cup Greek Women's Cup Other HEBA Greek All-Star Game Greek Basketball Awards Greek Basket League MVP Greek Basket League Finals MVP Greek Clubs Greek clubs in Europe Acropolis Tournament Greek NBA Players / NBA Draft Picks Statistical Leaders By number of titles List of indoor arenas in Greece

International men's basketball FIBA National teams Olympics World Cup Universiade U-21 World Championship U-19 World Championship U-17 World Championship World Rankings Africa FIBA Africa – AfroBasket U-18 U-16 Americas FIBA Americas – FIBA Americas Championship U-18 U-16 Asia FIBA Asia – FIBA Asia Championship U-18 U-16 Europe FIBA Europe – EuroBasket U-20 U-18 U-16 Oceania FIBA Oceania – FIBA Oceania Championship U-20 U-18 U-16 Other tournaments Acropolis Tournament Adecco Cup Albert Schweitzer Tournament All-Africa Games Asian Games Commonwealth Games Belgrade Trophy Diamond Ball FIBA Asia Cup FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament Lusophony Games Marchand Cup Mediterranean Games MVP Cup Stanković Cup Pan American Games Pan Arab Games South Asian Games TBF International Under-16 Tournament William Jones Cup World Cup (Turkey) Note: The Under-21 Championship is no longer held.