Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens comes off a strong Turkish Airlines Euroleague campaign that will be remembered by all fans as the last one in which legend Dimitris Diamantidis wore the club's jersey. Panathinaikos had a new look for the 2015-16 campaign, including head coach Sasha Djordjevic, and the squad needed some time to come together. Despite a 2-4 regular season start, Panathinaikos went on to win its last four regular season games, including road triumphs against Pinar Karsiyaka Izmir and Zalgiris Kaunas, to qualify to the Top 16 without trouble. A 1-3 start in Group E did not stop Panathinaikos, as Nick Calathes and Miroslav Raduljica helped the Greens win eight of their next nine games to reach the playoffs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz had the home-court advantage in the series, which forced Panathinaikos to win at least once on the road to challenge for the series. It almost happened in Game 2, in which a big three-pointer by Diamantidis sent the game to overtime. Laboral, however, protected its home court and won Game 3 in Athens to reach the Final Four. Coach Djordjevic was fired after that playoffs series and replaced by Argiris Pedoulakis.

Euroleague

History

A long time superpower in Greek sports, Panathinaikos first took charge of the local basketball scene with 12 domestic titles over a 17-year stretch between 1967 and 1984. After a dry period, Panathinaikos bounced back to become a top team in Europe. In 1996, Panagiotis Giannakis, Dominique Wilkins and Fragiskos Alvertis came together and secured the first Euroleague title by a Greek team. A few years later, the club started a new streak of collecting league crowns at home. In 2000, already led by head coach Zeljko Obradovic, Panathinaikos lifted its second Euroleague trophy in Thessaloniki with a win over Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the Greens won it all again in 2002 by upsetting Virtus in Bologna. It all clicked for Panathinaikos again in the 2006-07 campaign. That would prove to be one for the history books as Panathinaikos knocked off defending champion CSKA in the 2007 Euroleague Championship Game - an instant classic played in Athens. Two years later the Greens put their name on the title again with Vassilis Spanoulis earning Final Four MVP honors in Berlin in one of the most exciting finals in basketball history. In a 2010-11 season to remember, Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP Dimitris Diamantidis shined as the Greens turned away defending champ Regal FC Barcelona in the playoffs and then downed Maccabi Electra in Barcelona for its sixth Euroleague title. During 2011-12 season, Panathinaikos lost a tough Euroleague semifinal and saw its streak of nine Greek League championships come to an end. That season also marked the end of the Coach Obradovic era. Panathinaikos was one win away from returning to the Final Four in 2013 and 2014, but stayed strong in Greece with back-to-back league and cup doubles. In the 2014-15 season, Panathinaikos won the Greek Cup, made it to the Greek League finals and reached the Euroleague playoffs for the fifth consecutive season before losing to CSKA Moscow in four games. The Greens returned to the Euroleague playoffs last season and lifted the Greek Cup trophy for the fifth consecutive season, but archrival Olympiacos prevailed in the Greek League finals. A new era starts for Panathinaikos in the 2016-17 season - its first without floor general Diamantidis in over a decade.

Trophy Case