Olympiacos | ||||
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Nickname | Thrylos (The Legend) Erythrolefki (The Red-Whites) Kokkini (The Reds) | |||
Leagues | GBL EuroLeague | |||
Founded | 1931; 94 years ago (1931) | |||
History | Olympiacos Piraeus B.C. (1931–present) | |||
Arena | Peace and Friendship Stadium | |||
Capacity | 12,700[1] | |||
Location | Piraeus, Greece | |||
Team colors | Red, White | |||
President | Panagiotis Angelopoulos | |||
Head coach | Georgios Bartzokas | |||
Team captain | Kostas Papanikolaou | |||
Ownership | Giorgos Angelopoulos Panagiotis Angelopoulos | |||
Championships | 3EuroLeagues 1FIBA Intercontinental Cup 1Triple Crown 14Greek Championships 12Greek Cups 3Greek Super Cup | |||
Retired numbers | 2 (7,15) | |||
Website | olympiacosbc.gr | |||
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Active departments ofOlympiacos |
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Olympiacos B.C. (Greek:ΚΑΕ Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π.), commonly referred to asOlympiacos andOlympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professionalbasketball club based inPiraeus, part of the major multi-sport club,Olympiacos CFP. The parent club was founded in 1925, with the basketball team created in 1931, and their home ground is thePeace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus.
Olympiacos has been established as one of the most successful clubs inGreek basketball history and one ofthe most successful clubs in European basketball, having won threeEuroLeagues, oneFIBA Intercontinental Cup, oneTriple Crown, fourteenGreek League titles, twelveGreek Cups and threeGreek Super Cups. As a traditional European powerhouse, Olympiacos have also been six times EuroLeague runners-up and, having played a total of nine finals, they are the Greek club with the mostEuroLeague Final appearances. They have also participated in twelveEuroLeague Final Fours.[2]
The first major achievement of Olympiacos in European competitions was their presence in the1978–79 FIBA European Champions Cup semi-finals group stage, but it was in the 1990s that Olympiacos made their biggest mark. They became the first ever Greek club that reached theEuroLeague Final, being runners-up in two consecutive seasons (1994 and1995), winning their first EuroLeague title in1997, after a convincing 73–58 win toBarcelona in Rome, which was a record margin win at the time for one-leg final in the competition's history. In the same season, they achieved the first Triple Crown for a Greek team and as European champions they played in the1997 McDonald's Championship, where they met in the final theMichael Jordan'sNBAchampions, theChicago Bulls. During the 1990s, besides their constant achievements in EuroLeague, also adding a third place in1999, Olympiacos dominated theGreek Basket League with five consecutive titles, at a time when the Greek championship was consideredEurope's best national basketball league. Thus,FIBA declared Olympiacos as the "Best European Team of the 1990s".[3][4]
Olympiacos returned to the very top of European basketball in2010, when they reached the final against Barcelona in Paris, but mostly in2012, when they won their second EuroLeague title inIstanbul, by rallying from 19 points down in the championship game, to beatCSKA Moscow 62–61, on the last shot of the game, achieving the greatest comeback in European basketball finals history, and one of the greatest ever seen in European continental basketball. In2013, Olympiacos won their third EuroLeague title and became the only Greek club and only the third club in European basketball history to be crowned back-to-back European champions in the modernEuroLeague Final Four era, after beatingReal Madrid 100–88 in the London final.[5] Later on, Olympiacos won theIntercontinental Cup, celebrating a third international title in 17 months.
Some of the greatest players in European basketball have played for Olympiacos over the years including:Charlie Yelverton,Carey Scurry,Žarko Paspalj,Giorgos Sigalas,Dragan Tarlać,Walter Berry,Panagiotis Fasoulas,Roy Tarpley,Eddie Johnson,Alexander Volkov,David Rivers,Artūras Karnišovas,Dino Rađja,Theo Papaloukas,Alphonso Ford,Tyus Edney,Arvydas Macijauskas,Miloš Teodosić,Nikola Vujčić,Josh Childress,Linas Kleiza,Rašho Nesterović,Kostas Papanikolaou,Kyle Hines,Acie Law,Georgios Printezis andVassilis Spanoulis. Under the ownership of billionaire Greek brothersPanagiotis Angelopoulos andGiorgos Angelopoulos, Olympiacos made a record transfer in 2008, by signing NBA playerJosh Childress, whose US$20 millionnet income contract for three years made him the highest-paid basketball player in the world ever, outside the NBA.[6]
The club had its beginnings in the 1930s. Olympiacos was the first Greek team to familiarize itself with American style basketball, asAlekos Spanoudakis learned to imitate the American stylejump shot, and his brother,Ioannis Spanoudakis (who was both player andhead coach of the team), met basketball legendBob Cousy, and practiced many of his secrets and techniques on the court. The Spanoudakis brothers led the club to its firstGreek League championship in 1949.[7] The second title did not come until 11 years later, in 1960, and allowed the Reds for the first time to qualify for theEuropean Champions Cup (now calledEuroLeague) (1960–61 season), which was their first ever participation at the European-wide level.
It was not until 1976 that coachFaidon Matthaiou managed to create a strong team based on the starsSteve Giatzoglou,Giorgos Kastrinakis, Giorgos Barlas and on strong team players like Paul Melini andPavlos Diakoulas. Olympiacos would win another Greek title and it did so in unprecedented fashion, running off 22 victories in 22 games. Reds completed the first double in their history, winning theGreek Cup, while they did very well in theCup Winner's Cup as well, reaching the last 8. The next year,Kostas Mourouzis was appointed as head coach and the team won the Greek cup, after eliminatingPanathinaikos with a record-setting 110–68 away win (42 points difference, the highest ever in the games between the two teams).[8] Melini led Olympiacos with 24 points, while Kastrinakis scored 22. In 1978 the team did their second double in 3 years, winning both the Greek championship (losing only 1 game) and their third Greek cup in a row, beatingAEK 103–88 in the final.
In 1979 the club also had their first significant success in Europe, reaching the final round (Final-6) of the European Championship. The final round of that year was one of the toughest ever in the competition. Olympiacos finished 6th, winning only one game, the 79–77 home victory againstMaccabi Tel Aviv. In general, Olympiacos was a tough home team and although they lost all the rest of their home matches, the scores were really close: 84–95 toJoventut Freixenet (77–91 away), 68–72 toEmerson Varese (67–92 away), 97–101 toReal Madrid (72–113 away), 83–88 toBosna (72–89 away). Olympiacos won anotherGreek Cup title in 1980 which was the last of the successful Giatzoglou–Kastrinakis era. In 1979, 1980 and 1981 Olympiacos finished at the second place of the Greek championship.
Although the 1970s was the most successful decade for the team up to that time, the 1980s marked a low period for the Reds, who did not manage to play a major domestic role, being outshined by the up-and-coming superpowers fromThessaloniki,Aris andPAOK. The team was led by Greek players such as Dimitris Maniatis andArgiris Kambouris, the hero ofEuroBasket 1987, but their strong effort was not enough to bring any significant results. Well-known players such asCarey Scurry andTodd Mitchell couldn't lead the club to success.
It was in the 1990s that the Reds made their biggest mark. The middle of that decade belonged to Olympiacos, not only in Greece, but also in Europe. In the 1991–92 season, record holding Greek basketball coachGiannis Ioannidis left Aris to manage Olympiacos, the torpid giant, and created a tough, team-oriented, offensive basketball team. In addition to this, Olympiacos left the old Papastrateio Indoor Hall, to move intoPeace and Friendship Stadium (commonly called SEF), anindoor arena at that time of 17,000 seats and the biggest in Greece until theOlympic Indoor Hall was inaugurated in 1995. By that year the club had fully rebounded, climbing all the way back to rule Greece.
Five consecutive Greek Championships from 1993 to 1997 and two Greek Cups in 1994 and 1997, made the team the indubitable dominant club in Greece. During this period, Olympiacos was the best supported basketball team, not only in Greece but in Europe as well, as Peace and Friendship Stadium was full in most of their matches, making Olympiacos invincible in it. In addition to their domestic success, Olympiacos became the most successful team in theEuroLeague of that period, leadingFIBA to select them as the Best European Team in the decade of the 1990s.[3][4]
In the1992–93 season, in their first year in theFIBA European League, after a hard run which started inHala Tivoli againstSmelt Olimpija (for the second preliminary round) and continued in the top 16 round where Olympiacos ranked third in a tough group and qualified for the quarterfinal play-offs, together withReal Madrid Teka ofArvydas Sabonis,Benetton Treviso ofToni Kukoč andPau-Orthez ofGheorghe Mureșan. However they did not manage to qualify for the1993 FIBA European League Final Four inPiraeus, Athens which was held at their home court, Peace and Friendship Stadium, as they were eliminated byLimoges CSP in the quarter-finals with 2–1 wins, after a breathtaking third game inPalais des Sports de Beaublanc (58–60), which was decided in the last seconds after an off-balance two-points shot by the Slovenian starJure Zdovc. Domestically, despite finishing 4th in the Greek A1 regular season, Olympiacos eliminated in the quarter-finals with 2–0 wins theFIBA European Cup championsSato Aris but at the same time lost to Aris (66–71) for the Greek Cup semi-final game in their homeseat and excluded from the 1993 Cup Final (the final was set byE.O.K. to take place in SEF). Finally Olympiacos won their first Greek Championship since 1978, defeating in the semi-finals with 3–1 wins a totally disappointedPAOK by the failure at theFinal Four in Athens, and thenPanathinaikos in the finals with 3–1 wins as well, even though both of Olympiacos' opponents had the home-court advantage.
The following year, Olympiacos had a top-class roster with players likeRoy Tarpley,Žarko Paspalj,Dragan Tarlać,Panagiotis Fasoulas,Giorgos Sigalas,Milan Tomić,Franco Nakić andEfthimis Bakatsias, and reached theFIBA European League Final Four inYad Eliyahu Arena,Tel Aviv for the first time in their history. After an impressive run in the top 16, achieving significant away wins for the first time in the European history of the club againstReal Madrid Teka (58–57 inPalacio de Deportes) or againstBenetton Treviso (79–73 inPalaverde) and a newfound home victory by 18 points difference againstFC Barcelona Banca Catalana (82–64), the "Reds" qualified as group winners (11–3 record) for the quarter-final playoffs where they faced the ranked fourth of the group B, theItalian championsBuckler Beer Bologna ofYugoslav superstarSasha Danilović and eliminated them hardly with 2–1 wins. In the Tel Aviv Final Four which was looked like an Athenaic-Catalan tournament demonstration, they faced their arch-rivalsPanathinaikos in the semi-final (by the way the other semi-final wasFC Barcelona Banca Catalana vs7up Joventut), beating them 77–72 and becoming the first Greek team to ever play in the Euroleague Final.Paspalj scored 22 points andTarpley recorded adouble-double against Panathinaikos, scoring 21 points and grabbing no less than 16 rebounds for Olympiacos. The "Reds", despite being strong favourites to win the European crown, lost 57–59 to7up Joventut in the final after a dramatic ending. Domestically, they had a very successful season, as they managed to celebrate the Double, winning an extremely competitive Greek Championship with 3–2 wins againstPAOK Bravo ofBane Prelević,Walter Berry andZoran Savić -who had been crownedFIBA Korać Cup champions two months earlier- and the Greek Cup as well, beatingStiebel Eltron Iraklis 63–51 in the final in SEF.
In the 1994–95 season, Olympiacos with theNBA veteran and 3-point specialistEddie Johnson and the greatUkrainian combo-forwardSasha Volkov as additives in a very attached roster that was experienced from the participation in the next season Final Four of Tel Aviv, started the season as one of the favorites for participation in the Final Four and winning the European championship. In addition to domestic competitions Olympiacos had become regime and the goal was winning the double. The aim of the Greek Cup extinguished from the beginning after the defeat by Panathinaikos with the strangeness 40–42 in the knock-out match that held in theSporting Indoor Hall because Olympiacos was punished for the events that take place in the fifth final of the last season play-offs against PAOK. In Europe the team launched their obligations with a resounding victory (77–42) atAbdi İpekçi Arena againstEfes Pilsen, continued with some extended victories at home (101–69 against riskyCibona, 84–53 against the decadent European champions of7up Joventut, 89–64 againstBuckler Beer Bologna), achieved the classical double win againstBayer 04 Leverkusen ofDirk Bauermann, did the classical double defeat by theLimouzo ofBožidar Maljković, crashed (99–78)FC Barcelona Banca Catalana in SEF and eventually qualified as second from the group B with the homecourt advantage in their pocket. Olympiacos eliminatedCSKA Moscow with 2–1 wins in the quarter-final playoffs and reached their secondFIBA European League Final Four inPabellón Príncipe Felipe,Zaragoza, facing again their eternal enemiesPanathinaikos in the semi-final. They defeated them one more time 58–52, with 27 points and 10 rebounds from club legendEddie Johnson, including four decisive 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game, thus advancing to the EuroLeague Final for the second consecutive year. There, they played against anotherSpanish team,Real Madrid Teka, who were playing on their home soil and managed to defeat Olympiacos 61–73. Domestically, the Reds managed to win their third consecutive Greek Championship with 3–2 wins in the best-of-five finals against Panathinaikos, after a thrilling 45–44 home win against their arch-rivals in the decisive fifth and last match.
In the next season, 1995–96, although Olympiacos made an excellent course in the FIBA European League top 16 group stage and achieved a 10–4 record, he ranked third in the group because in the triple tie withCSKA Moscow and theFIBA European Cup champions ofBenetton Treviso had the disadvantage with 1–3 wins. In the quarter-finals Olympiacos facedReal Madrid Teka with home-court disadvantage and did not manage to make the Final Four for a third season in a row, losing the play-off series with 1–2 wins (68–49 win in Piraeus, 77–80 and 65–80 losses in Madrid). However, the season ended in an extremely memorable way, because in the last game of the best-of-five series of the Greek League Finals, Olympiacos smashed arch-rivals andEuropean championsPanathinaikos with a thrashing 73–38 victory, an all-time record victory margin (35 points) for the Greek League Finals and the second largest winning margin in an Olympiacos–Panathinaikos game after Olympiacos' 110–68 (42-point margin) record away win against Panathinaikos in theGreek Cup in 1977.[9] Five players scored in double digits (Rivers 16 points,Tarlać 14,Nakić 12,Berry andSigalas 10 each) and led Olympiacos to their fourth consecutive Greek Championship in front of their ecstatic fans, who celebrated the title and the historic win in a euphoric frenzy at Peace and Friendship Stadium.
In the 1996–97 season, with a new coach,Dušan Ivković at the bench, the Reds and their fans had more hope than ever for the European title. In the regular season of the EuroLeague Olympiacos' performance was not as good as it was in the previous years, but in the play-offs they were impressive, twice breaking their opponents home court advantage. Their first victim wasPartizan. In a strange best of three series, Olympiacos won the first match with 81–71 inBelgrade, lost the second at Peace and Friendship Stadium (61–60), which disappointed their fans, and finally won the third game in Belgrade with 74–69, which advanced them to the quarter-finals where the defending champions Panathinaikos were waiting for them with a home court advantage. Panathinaikos was ready to stop their rivals and take the revenge for the last year's smashing 73–38 defeat in the Greek finals. In the first game of the series at Panathinaikos' home, theAthens Olympic Indoor Hall, Olympiacos once again thrashed the Greens, beating them 69–49 in front of their own fans. After the 20-point difference triumph in their rivals' court, they were only one win away from the Final Four. In the second match, at Peace and Friendship Stadium, in front of 17,000 ecstatic Reds fans, Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos once more by a score of 65–57 and advanced to the Final Four inRome.[10][11]
Olympiacos were the unquestionable favorites to win the EuroLeague championship and they made it, after two dominating performances in the Final Four. They facedSmelt Olimpija in the semi-final and beat them 74–65, withDavid Rivers scoring 28 points. In the final, they played againstFC Barcelona Banca Catalana, and after an impressive display, they won by a score of 73–58, and became European Champions for the first time in their history. Rivers led Olympiacos, scoring an average of 27 points in the two games, and was eventually votedFinal Four MVP. The thousands of Olympiacosfans who filledPalaeur arena, were quick to sing that, "in Rome, in the final, we lifted the European title" (Greek:Στη Ρώμη και στον τελικό, σηκώσαμε Ευρωπαϊκό). This remains one of the club's most popular chants to this day. Olympiacos went on to complete the covetedTriple Crown in convincing fashion: they won the Greek League title (with 3–1 wins against the season's surprise teamAEK) and the Greek Cup (beatingDexim Apollon Patras 80–78 in the final, inOlympic Indoor Hall), to mark the most successful season in the club's long history. Olympiacos became the first Greek team to ever win the Triple Crown, and remained the only to do so one up until 2007.
In October of the same year, the club played in the1997 McDonald's Championship, in Paris. Having defeatedAtenas in the semi-final by 89–86, Olympiacos played against theNBA championsChicago Bulls in the final.[12] The game was played under zone-friendly European rules (the games between NBA and FIBA teams were played under a mixture of NBA and FIBA rules at that time), but, out of respect for the Bulls, Olympiacos never used a zone defense. Olympiacos was defeated 78–104, by the Bulls, and one of the greatest basketball players ever,Michael Jordan.
In the 1997–98 season, Olympiacos were once again the favorites in all the competitions they were taking part. They started the season with an impressive record of consecutive wins in Greece and Europe. But in the second half of the season, things went wrong for the team. Olympiacos played in the round of 16 of the EuroLeague, with a home court advantage againstPartizan in a three-game series, but they lost both matches in Athens andBelgrade and the European Champions suffered an early and disappointing elimination. In the Greek Cup's Final Four, they faced Panathinaikos for the 3rd place and they won easily.
In the Greek League, Olympiacos finished the regular season in second place, behind Panathinaikos. In the semi-finals, Olympiacos faced PAOK, having a home court advantage in a best of three series. In the first match in Athens, Olympiacos took a tight 66–65 win and held the advantage. They lost the second match in Thessaloniki, and the last game was held again in Athens. Olympiacos lost 58–55 inNeo Faliro, marking the first ever defeat for the team in Peace and Friendship Stadium during the Greek playoffs. The Reds did not have the chance to defend their crown and they ended up in third place, with a 3–1 series win overAEK.
The 1998–99 season did not begin well, because in the season's opening match of the Greek Cup, Olympiacos was eliminated by PAOK. The Reds played once again in the EuroLeague Final Four, and although they were considered the favorites to win the title, they lost 71–87 in the semi-final to the eventual winnersŽalgiris. They finished third, defeatingTeamsystem Bologna 74–63 in the 3rd place game. In the Greek League they were the favorites to win the championship, but despite having the home advantage in the finals against Panathinaikos, they were defeated in the last game of the series at home and lost the title. That was the first time Olympiacos lost a playoff game to Panathinaikos in SEF after 10 consecutive wins.
In the 1999–2000 season, Olympiacos did not make the EuroLeague playoffs, as they were eliminated in the round of 16 byUnion Olimpija. On the contrary, they finished first in the regular season of the Greek League and entered the playoffs having home court advantage. But in the semi-finals they played against fourth-placedPAOK and they were eliminated, losing the first game at home and the second one in Thessaloníki. Olympiacos facedAEK for the third place and won.
In the 2000–01 season, Olympiacos played in the first EuroLeague competition that was organized byEuroLeague Basketball, but despite having home court advantage in the playoffs they were eliminated byTau Cerámica. In the Greek League Finals, they finished second.
In the 2001–02 season, the club managed to win theGreek Cup, their first trophy since 1997,[13] in a Final Four tournament that was held at Peace and Friendship Stadium. They beat Panathinaikos 83–75 in the semi-final andMaroussi 74–66 in the final. Then they came within one victory of the EuroLeague Final Four. They played in the Top 16 in a group againstPanathinaikos,AEK andUnion Olimpija, with only the first placed team advancing to the Final Four. After Olympiacos completed an easy 92–75 win over Panathinaikos withAlphonso Ford scoring 21 points in the opening home match, another home win against AEK, and an away win against Olimpija, they played an away game against Panathinaikos and lost 78–88. The score of that game gave the Reds theaggregate advantage in case they finished on the top of the group along with their rivals, a scenario that looked highly probable. However, in the fifth group game, the weakest team of the group, Union Olimpija, stunned Olympiacos in Athens by winning their single game in the group. This put Olympiacos in second place and despite their away win against AEK in the last game of the group, their unexpected loss against Olimpija kept them out of the Final Four in Bologna. In the Greek League the Reds eliminatedPeristeri in the quarter-finals and managed to break the home court advantage of Panathinaikos in the first game of the playoffs semi-final with a well-deserved 80–89 win inOAKA and after a thrilling second win at home with 80–76, they eliminated them and made it to the finals. In the finals, they managed to break AEK's home court advantage in the first game of the series (82–74) and after a second comfortable win at SEF in Game 2 (75–70) they were very close to the title. Despite starting the finals with those two comfortable wins, their 2–0 lead did not prove enough as they lost three games in a row and let the title slip away.
Olympiacos was one of the EuroLeague's most dangerous teams in 2002–03 as well. They had a decent regular season, finishing third in a tough group of eight teams and qualified to the next phase at the expense of teams likeReal Madrid andPartizan. The club came closer than any team to knocking off the eventual championsFC Barcelona in two heartbreaking games in the EuroLeague Top 16 groups (55–58, 77–80) and proved, despite the fact that they were not at their best during the early 2000s, that they were able to beat any team at any time.
The 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons were the worst in the modern history of Olympiacos. In both seasons, the team was eliminated in the Greek Cup and finished in the 8th place of the Greek League. Especially in the latter season, Olympiacos had a dismal performance in the EuroLeague, which filled many of the club's fans with uncertainty.
The 2005–06 season saw the return of the Red giants, which overcame the previous down years with a nice combination of young talent and experienced veterans which paid off for the club.Players added to the club likeRenaldas Seibutis,Quincy Lewis,Panagiotis Vasilopoulos,Georgios Printezis and, above all,Sofoklis Schortsanitis, were viewed by some to be a possible solid core of players for the team for many years to come. That season seemed to be very promising for the Red giants. However, the promising Reds were eliminated from the Greek Cup in their first knock-out match of the competition. Olympiacos survived a difficult EuroLeague regular season and shined in the Top 16, advancing to the quarterfinal playoffs. The Reds were just a win away from making it to the Final Four for the first time since 1999.Maccabi Tel Aviv won the best-of-three playoff series 2–1, but game 3 went down to the wire. Experience proved to be a decisive factor in the final 2 minutes of the game, when the hosts managed to seal a 77–73 win and advanced to the Final Four inPrague.Tyus Edney earned EuroLeague February MVP honors, as well as ranking third in assists at the end of the regular season and second in the Top 16. Olympiacos also shined in its domestic competition, as the Reds made it to the Greek League finals for the first time in five years by surviving a thrilling five-game series againstMaroussi. Despite their losing in the final playoff series, it was clear that the Reds were back where they used to be, becoming a team able to challenge for every title.
In the 2006–07 season, with the signings of head coachPini Gershon andArvydas Macijauskas, the Reds were one of the favorites to claim theEuroLeague crown, but they did not manage to qualify to the Athens Final Four. They were eliminated from the Greek Cup as well. In the Greek League playoffs, they made it to the finals after winning 3–2 a best of five semi-final against Aris. Although Olympiacos had to overcome their home court disadvantage, they won the last match in Thessaloniki and made it to the best of five finals, having again a home court disadvantage, this time against Panathinaikos. The club had to beat their arch-rivals to win their firstGreek Championship since 1997. But they finished second in one of the best final series ever played in the Greek League. At the opening game of the series in Panathinaikos' home, the Reds lost 72–79, but they won the second game in Peace and Friendship Stadium 76–72. In the third match, Olympiacos lost 86–85 in overtime, with the Reds complaining furiously against the referees, who did not call a clear foul againstScoonie Penn with only 3 seconds left in the game.[14][15] Olympiacos won the next game easily, 78–68 in Piraeus, but in the last away game, the Reds lost 76–89.
In the 2007–08 season, Olympiacos was once again considered amongst the favorites to reach the Final Four of the EuroLeague. It was also considered one of the two favorites, along with Panathinaikos, to win the Greek championship. In the Greek League regular season the team had a record of 22 wins and 4 defeats, and had the second most prolific offensive team in the league. In the quarter-finals of the playoffs, Olympiacos swept AEK Athens in a best-of-three series and in the semi-finals they beat Maroussi in a best-of-five series, 3–2. They finally finished second, losing in the finals of the Greek League. They also reached the final of the Greek Cup after 4 years, but they did not manage to take the title. In the EuroLeague, the team qualified for the third phase of the competition (quarter-finals). They played against the eventual winnersCSKA Moscow and despite grabbing a thrilling away win in the first match of the series inCSKA Universal Sports Hall in Moscow (76–74 withQyntel Woods scoring 20 points andLynn Greer sinking a spectacular game-winningbuzzer beater which ended CSKA's 27-game winning streak at home), they lost the second game in Piraeus and were eventually eliminated by 2–1 wins after the third game in Moscow.
The 2008–09 season began with high expectations due to a bigbudget and a greatroster with players likeJosh Childress,Theo Papaloukas,Miloš Teodosić,Nikola Vujčić,Ioannis Bourousis,Lynn Greer,Panagiotis Vasilopoulos,Sofoklis Schortsanitis andGeorgios Printezis. The club's season was only moderately successful however, as they reached the finals of both the Greek Cup and the Greek Championship. In the Greek Championship regular season, the team set a record with 25 wins against only 1 defeat, but in the finals of the Greek League playoffs, they lost the series 3–1, despite having thehome court advantage. In the EuroLeague, they reached the Final Four for the first time in 10 years, eliminatingReal Madrid with 3–1 wins. Having secured the home advantage, they won the first two games in Piraeus (88–79 and 79–73) and managed to secure an away win (75–78) inMadrid in Game 4 of the series, thus advancing to the EuroLeague Final Four after 1999. In the Final Four inBerlin, they faced arch-rivals Panathinaikos in a close, heartbreaking thriller: Olympiacos trailed by two points and had the ball for the last possession. The ball went to Bourousis but his close shot bounced out, with Childress being unable to score with a last-second tip as well. Despite the loss in a match that could have easily gone either way, the team's great effort and the club's return to the elite of European basketball were clear signs of their future success.
The 2009–10 season was the best in a long time for Olympiacos. The management wanted to bring another big player to the team, afterJosh Childress. And they did, agreeing with the LithuanianNBA player of theDenver Nuggets,Linas Kleiza. With the help of these two and under the guidance of coachPanagiotis Giannakis the club managed to take the Greek Cup defeating their arch-rivalsPanathinaikos 68–64 in the final.In theEuroLeague, the Reds had an impressive run in the regular season and the Top 16, finishing as group winners in both phases. In the quarter-final playoffs, the faced the Polish championsAsseco Prokom and eliminated them with 3–1 wins, reaching for the second consecutive season the EuroLeague Final Four which was held in Paris. In the semi-final the team managed to defeatPartizan 83–80 in overtime in a thrilling match, with Kleiza scoring 19 points. Olympiacos returned to the EuroLeague Final after 1997, facingRegal FC Barcelona, the very team they had beaten in the1997 Final. History did not repeat itself, as Olympiacos lost 68–86 toFC Barcelona in the final.In the Greek Championship finals, the club lost 3–1 wins to Panathinaikos after an intense third game that would have put them ahead 1–2, with the Reds having again huge complaints over the referees' performance.[16] The fourth game of the series was disrupted several times and the arena was cleared of all fans to complete the remaining few minutes.
In July 2010, Olympiacos offered a three-year contract worth €13,200,000eurosgross income to the famousGreek guardVassilis Spanoulis, and came to an agreement with the player. The great Serbian coachDušan Ivković agreed with the club, and with a roster of players such asMiloš Teodosić,Vassilis Spanoulis,Theo Papaloukas,Loukas Mavrokefalidis,Jamon Gordon,Rasho Nesterović, andIoannis Bourousis, Olympiacos became a favorite to win the2010–11 Euroleague. In the opening game of the Top 16, Olympiacos got a 70–84 defeat in Athens, againstFenerbahçe Ülker, but one month later, Olympiacos defeated the Turkish champions with a 65–80 win inIstanbul, and took the first place of theTop 16 Group H. In the quarter-finals, Olympiacos facedMontepaschi Siena. In the first game of a best-of-five series, the Reds achieved a great performance, defeating Montepaschi with an 89–41 score, at the Peace and Friendship stadium, in Athens, but the Italian club managed to win the second game (65–82), breaking the home advantage of the Reds. Olympiacos did not manage to win any of the next two away games, and got eliminated from the2011 EuroLeague Final Four. On 15 May 2011, Olympiacos defeated arch-rivals Panathinaikos, 74–68, in the Greek Cup Final, and won the ninth Greek Cup in the club's history. In the Greek League, Olympiacos took the first place in the regular season, but despite earning home-court advantage for the finals, they lost the first game at home, and suffered a 3–1 defeat in a best-of-five series, as they let a chance at the championship slip away.
In the summer of 2011, Olympiacos saw many experienced players leave the team, after a reduction of the team's budget by over 50%. The youthful team under coachDušan Ivković initially heavily depended on team leaderVassilis Spanoulis, losing games regularly when he was not playing. The team that the press thought might not even qualify for the Top 16, improved dramatically over the course of the season, and under the great performances ofVassilis Spanoulis,Georgios Printezis,Kostas Papanikolaou,Kyle Hines,Joey Dorsey,Pero Antić,Acie Law,Kostas Sloukas, andVangelis Mantzaris, Olympiacos managed to reach the2011–12 Euroleague Final Four inIstanbul, after breaking the home-advantage of the Italian champions,Montepaschi Siena, winning with a 75–82 score in the first game of a best-of-five series in Italy, in a reversal of the previous season's quarter-finals. Going to Istanbul as an outsider, Olympiacos upset the odds, and beat the two favourites,FC Barcelona Regal in the semi-final, with a score 68–64, andCSKA Moscow in the final, with a 62–61 score, coming back after trailing by 19 points in the most dramatic final in the history of EuroLeague. Printezis scored a game-winner, off anassist from Spanoulis, with a few tenths of a second left, to complete the epic comeback, and give Olympiacos the win, and the second EuroLeague Championship in their history. Vassilis Spanoulis, the man who provided the assist for Printezis' buzzer-beating hook-shot, was votedFinal Four MVP. The most successful season of the Reds since 1997, was completed by seizing theGreek Championship as well. They eliminatedPAOK in the quarter-finals, andPanionios in the semi-finals, securing their spot in the Greek Finals undefeated. They entered the Greek Finals having the home-court advantage, after their first place in the regular season, and their impressive 23–1 record. There, Olympiacos faced their arch-rivalsPanathinaikos, and won the best-of-five series 3–2 (84–78, 84–72, 82–76), celebrating the tenth Greek Championship in their history, and their first since 1997.
After the end of a dreamy season, both domestically and internationally, legendary coachDušan Ivković decided to leave the club, leaving the club's owners, the Angelopoulos brothers, with a hard decision regarding his replacement. The club's owners decided to hire the highly promising Greek coachGeorgios Bartzokas (who had very successful tenures inMarousi andPanionios) as the new head coach of the European Champions.Stratos Perperoglou,Giorgi Shermadini and the two-timeNBA ChampionJosh Powell joined the team to replaceMarko Kešelj,Joey Dorsey, andLazaros Papadopoulos. In May 2013, Olympiacos, under the guidance of coach Bartzokas, becameEuroLeague Champion for the second year in a row,[17] becoming the first and only Greek club, and the only club sinceMaccabi Tel Aviv in European-wide basketball, to becomeback-to-back EuroLeague Champions, in theEuroleague Basketball Company era (Euroleague 2000–01 season to present), and only the third club in history since the establishment of the modern era Final Four format in 1987–88 season, to achieve that honour. After a solid display in both the regular season and the Top 16, they qualified for the quarter-finals, having earned the home advantage. They facedAnadolu Efes, and managed to eliminate the Turkish side, by winning the best-of-five series 3–2, after a thrilling Game 5 in SEF. Olympiacos managed to rally from a 15-point second-quarter deficit to win the game, with an 82–72 scoreline, thus securing the chance to defend their European crown in the Final Four. In the Final Four, Olympiacos managed to put forth two outstanding basketball displays. After rolling pastCSKA Moscow with a smashing 69–52 win in the semi-final,[18] they managed to beatReal Madrid 100–88 inthe final at London'sThe O2 Arena, roaring back from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter, and scoring 90 points in the remaining three-quarters.EuroLeague MVPVassilis Spanoulis led the charge with 22 points (all in the second half), and was eventually votedFinal Four MVP for the second consecutive season, and third overall in his career. Thus joiningToni Kukoč, as the only two players in history to achieve that distinction on three occasions.Acie Law scored 20 points with 5 assists, andKyle Hines added 12 points with 3 blocks, one of which was a spectacular chase-down block on a fast break layup attempt byNikola Mirotić.
After winning the EuroLeague championship for the second straight season, Olympiacos qualified to play at the2013 edition of theFIBA Intercontinental Cup, against the 2013FIBA Americas League champions,Pinheiros Sky, for the official Club World Cup title. The two-gameaggregate score series was hosted inGinásio José Corrêa Arena, inBarueri, São Paulo, and Olympiacos dominated the series. They won both games quite convincingly (2–0), winning the first game of the series by a score of 81 to 70, and the second game by a score of 86 to 69. Teamcaptain Vassilis Spanoulis was named the 2013FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP.[19][20] Olympiacos lifted the trophy in front of their ecstatic fans from the Greek community of Brazil, and celebrated their third international title in less than 2 years. In the EuroLeague, they reached thequarter-finals, where they played againstReal Madrid, the very team they had beaten in the previous year's final. Real Madrid entered the series with home-court advantage, and Olympiacos couldn't overturn the situation, losing the series 3–2 to the Spanish champions, after five intense games, and missing the chance to defend their back-to-back European crown.
In the 2014–15 season, Olympiacos had another great season, reaching the EuroLeague Final, and seizing the Greek Championship in a convincing way. In EuroLeague, after an impressive run in the regular season and the Top 16, they qualified for the quarter-finals for the tenth consecutive season (2006–2015), which was an all-time record in European basketball history at the time, shared withFC Barcelona,[21] the very club they were drawn to play against for a Final Four spot. FC Barcelona entered the series with the home-court advantage, and won the first game at home. Olympiacos bounced back from the loss, and managed to put on a top-class display in Game 2, beating FC Barcelona 63–76, atPalau Blaugrana. With the home-advantage in their hands, the Reds beat FC Barcelona twice atPeace and Friendship Stadium, winning the playoff series 3–1. Game 4 of the series was nothing less than a dramatic thriller. The game was tied at 68–68, with only 5.2 seconds remaining on game the clock. Olympiacos had possession of the ball, and just a small amount of time for a last play. The ball went toGeorgios Printezis (hero of the2012 EuroLeague Final), who hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to secure the Final Four spot for his team (71–68), with Olympiacos fans erupting in frenetic celebrations. In theFinal Four in Madrid, Olympiacos beatCSKA Moscow, 70–68, in the semi-final, coming back from a 9-point deficit in the last four minutes of the game. CaptainVassilis Spanoulis led Olympiacos to the final, by scoring 11 points in the last minutes of the 4th quarter, by hitting some really tough shots in the game's last crucial minutes. In the EuroLeague Final, Olympiacos did not manage to win their third EuroLeague title in four years, as they lost to rivalsReal Madrid, who played the final at their home court. Despite the title loss, Olympiacos proved yet again their dominating presence in European basketball, as they had become the most successful club in European basketball since 2008, with twoEuroLeague Championships (2012, 2013), three otherEuroLeague Finals appearances (2010, 2015, 2017), and sixEuroLeague Final Four appearances in seven years (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017).
In Greece, Olympiacos had a great regular season, ending up with an impressive record of 25 wins and only 1 defeat. In the playoffs, they reached the finals, after eliminatingAris in the semi-finals (3–1 series win). In the finals, they totally dominated the series, and swept their arch-rivalsPanathinaikos, with a 3–0 series win (76–70, 69–76, 93–74). Winning the2015 Greek Championship in convincing fashion. Team head coachIoannis Sfairopoulos' guidance, as well as the team's solid performance, both defensively and offensively, paved the way for the historic 3–0 series sweep in the Greek League Finals, which was met with big celebrations from Olympiacos fans, at the title ceremony in SEF.
The2015–16 season proved historical for Olympiacos, who had gained home court advantage in the Greek League playoffs, after a 25–1 regular season record. In the Greek League finals they faced their arch-rivalsPanathinaikos and despite losing the first game at home, they managed to win the best-of-five series 3–1, to clinch its second consecutive title at Panathinaikos home court.
Olympiacos captainVassilis Spanoulis scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer in front ofNick Calathes, helping Olympiacos win the second game of the series with 68–66, breaking Panathinaikos' home court. Then, with the best-of-five series being 2–1 in favour of Olympiacos, the two teams faced each other again inO.A.C.A. Vassilis Spanoulis, shocked Panathinaikos again, this time at the last second of the second overtime of the game: Panathinaikos led by two points and Spanoulis, who was being guarded byDimitris Diamantidis (in what proved to be the last match of his career), stepped back from him and buried a buzzer-beating three point shot from 9 meters distance, winning the match and the title inside their rivals' home court, in front of 19,000 stunned Panathinaikos fans.
Vassilis Spanoulis scored 25 points in Olympiacos 82–81 decisive win and was votedGreek Basket League MVP andGreek Basket League Finals MVP.
The 2018–19 season was the most turbulent in Olympiacos and Greek basketball history. It was the season that the ongoing feud between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos peaked, following Olympiacos decisions after their long-lasting protests for the relationship of theHellenic Basketball Federation with Panathinaikos, the officiating in the games between the two arch-rivals and the exclusion ofEuroLeague referees from national competitions.[22]
Initially, in the2018–19 Greek Cup semi-final against Panathinaikos, Olympiacos decided to withdraw and to not return for the second half of the game in protest for the referees decisions, despite the possible sanctions for the team for leaving the game.[23] In the following day, Olympiacos announced that they would not play again any league or cup game against Panathinaikos, unless it was officiated exclusively by foreign referees, as well as any national competition game against any opponent, if any of the forementioned Cup semi-final's referees (Anastopoulos, Manos and Panagiotou) was set to officiate; furthermore, Giannakopoulos was not anymore allowed to enter the Peace and Friendship Stadium under any capacity he might be using, also asking from the authorities to investigate the extremely low betting odds for Panathinaikos to win the Cup semi-final, after the referees' names were announced.[24][25] At first, Olympiacos was punished with a deduction of 6 points from the same year's league table.[26]
Olympiacos announced that their decisions were fully supported by the parent club'sOlympiacos CFP chairman, Michalis Kountouris.[27] As the time for the game of the2018–19 Greek League's second round was approaching, Olympiacos officially informed the Hellenic Basketball Federation that they insist on their position not to play any game officiated by the three forementioned referees, or any game against Panathinaikos that will not be officiated by foreign referees.[28] Previously, Panathinaikos had expressed their opposition to the demand of the Reds.[29] After the announcement of the Greek referees who were going to officiate the forthcoming derby, Olympiacos announced that they would not participate in the game,[30][31] and even a last minute meeting under the Greek Deputy Minister for Sports ended with a quarrelling between the people of the two clubs and with Panathinaikos' owner Giannakopoulos cursing Olympiacos' owners and chanting about the forthcoming relegation of his club's eternal enemy.[32] PAO was awarded the away win for this game by 20–0 and Olympiacos was penalized with point deduction.[33]
For the last matchday of the league's regular season, the central refereeing committee announced that Anastopoulos, one of the three referees of Cup semi-final, was drawn to officiate Olympiacos' home game againstPromitheas Patras, after Giannakopoulos pressure for the three referees to be included in the draw for the Reds game. That meant that if Olympiacos insisted on their position not to take part in a game officiated by Anastopoulos, Manos and Panagiotou, then the red giant would be relegated to thesecond division, a penalty for any team that forfeits two league games.[34] Finally, Anastopoulos was replaced after his request not to officiate the game, which took place regularly,[35] something that led Panathinaikos to protest with their withdrawal from their last regular season game againstKymi, which was awarded the win and escaped relegation, while the Greens were punished with a 6-point deduction.[36][37]
In thefinal standings of the regular season, Panathinaikos with −6 points and Olympiacos with −8 points, and one more point not awarded to each one, were ranked in the 3rd and 6th place respectively despite having the two best records, which meant that they were to play against each other in the first playoffs round.[38] However, Olympiacos proceeded to legal action, asking from the high council for the solution of athletic disputes to void the last matchday of the regular season, pointing out that all referees assignments were illegal, thus the playoffs were postponed for one week.[38][39][40] TheHellenic Basketball Clubs Association decided to confirm the final standings,[38] with Olympiacos talking about violation of the sporting legislation.[41][42]
Olympiacos announced that they would not compete in the playoffs against Panathinaikos, since not only were foreign referees not appointed, but also two of the Cup semi-final referees (Anastopoulos and Manos) were drawn to officiate the first playoffs derby.[43] In the face of this possibilityEuroLeague Basketball president,Jordi Bertomeu, accused the Hellenic Basketball Federation of not intervening to resolve the dispute between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, describing the situation of the Greek basketball and the forthcoming relegation of Olympiacos as unthinkable.[44] Olympiacos, finally, did not appear in the first playoffs game at Panathinaikos home arena, which meant that the Reds would get relegated to the second division for forfeiting two league games,[45][46] Later, the Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association officially announced the relegation of Olympiacos to theGreek A2 Basket League, due to the non-participation in a league playoffs game; Olympiacos were eliminated for the rest of the playoffs and were also placed at the bottom of the final standings, with all their results voided and non-replaceable.[47]
The club's former coach,Ioannis Sfairopoulos, stated that Olympiacos chose the extreme way to change a situation that existed for years, something they tried to do in various ways in the past but nothing worked,[48] and that they have to change the status in Greek basketball.[49] Panathinaikos' coach,Rick Pitino, stated that Greek basketball needs Olympiacos and asked from them to change their mind.[50] Hellenic Basketball Federation's president,George Vassilakopoulos, after his long-lasting silence, stated:"It will be a disaster for basketball, for such a great club with a history like Olympiacos to play in the second division and a solution must be reached fast. I'm clear about this". Newly appointed Greek Deputy Minister for Sports, Lefteris Avgenakis, and Vassilakopoulos, both agreed that Olympiacos should be part of the Greek Basket League and that a solution should be found,[51] while his predecessor, Giorgos Vasiliadis, also accused of his passive stance, revealed that he had requestedFIBA to send foreign referees to the league games.[52] However, no action was taken maybe due to Panathinaikos constant threats that they would withdraw from the league, if Olympiacos remained in the first division.[53][54] In the meantime, Olympiacos appeals about the league last matchday's legality were rejected,[55] and they decided to take the Hellenic Basketball Clubs Association to the sports court.[56]
Finally, Olympiacos announced that they decided to register an entirely separate squad for the2019–20 Greek second division and 2019–20 Greek Cup, for reasons of legality, and that squad would be a secondary "B" team, with a different name (Olympiacos B Development Team) and using the Peace and Friendship Stadium's practice court as their home arena, with the senior team playing exclusively inEuroLeague, which"has all the elements that characterize a serious, modern and reliable league", according to their announcement.[57] After losing the first EuroLeague game of the season againstASVEL, Olympiacos andDavid Blatt parted ways.[58] His assistantKęstutis Kemzūra became the head coach of the team until the end of the season.[59]
After the 2021Hellenic Basketball Federation elections, the situation changed and finally the old establishment with the 82-years oldVassilakopoulos was replaced by new faces. Olympiacos returned to the Greek Basket League after 2 years with great success: they won the2021–22 Greek Basket League, beating their arch-rivals Panathinaikos with 3-0 wins in the finals (74–61, 78–72, 93–74), the2021–22 Greek Cup, beating Panathinaikos by 81–73 in the final inCrete, as well as the2022 Greek Super Cup, beating Panathinaikos once again by a 67–52 scorline in the final inRhodes.[60] Therefore, they completed a domestic Treble, winning the season's all three available Greek titles.
Apart from the 2022 Treble, Olympiacos returned to theFinal Four of the Euroleague. They finished in the second place in the2021–22 EuroLeague Regular Season and they were drawn to play againstAS Monaco in the2022 EuroLeague Playoffs. Olympiacos managed to eliminate AS Monaco with 3–2 wins in the best-of-five playoff series, winning the last match in Piraeus with a 94–88 scoreline. In the Final Four inBelgrade, Olympiacos finally finished in the fourth place, after losing the semi-final to Anadolu Efes in the last second of the game.
Olympiacos won theGreek championship andGreek Cup again in season 2022–23, thus completing a back-to-back domestic double. They won their 14th Greek Championship with 3–1 wins, after defeating Panathinaikos 63–35 in OAKA, in game 4 of the finals.
In theEuroleague, they finished first in the regular season of the competition, with a record of 24–10 and having the best defense, a unique fact for a Greek team in European competitions.[61] Olympiacos reached the final of the event, where they were defeated 78–79, conceding a 2-point shot with 3 seconds left in the game.
On May 2, 2023, the famousForbes praised Olympiacos, describing them as the best basketball team outside the NBA.[62]
Olympiacos won theGreek Basketball Cup in season 2023-24.[63]
In theEuroleague Olympiacos finished fifth in the regular season of the competition and qualified to the Euroleague Final 4 after winning Barcelona at playoffs.
In July 2024, Olympiacos announced the come back of Sasha Vezenkov after a one-year absence during which he was playing basketball for Sacramento Kings.[64]
Since 1985, Olympiacos had a specific kit manufacturer and a shirt sponsor. The following table shows in detail the shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers of Olympiacos by year:
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
1983–1984 | ASICS | Sharp |
1984–1985 | Ventouris Ferries | |
1985–1986 | Puma | |
1986–1988 | None | |
1988–1989 | Nike | Evga |
1989–1990 | Reebok | Toyota |
1990–1991 | VW Tournikiotis | |
1991–1992 | Kappa | Nissan |
1992 | ASICS | Intrasoft |
1992–1993 | Nike | |
1993–1995 | Lacta | |
1995–1996 | Red Club MasterCard | |
1996–1997 | Lacta | |
1997–1998 | None | |
1998–1999 | Lacta | |
1999–2000 | Intracom | |
2000–2004 | SAP | |
2004–2006 | Puma | Vodafone |
2006–2007 | Citibank | |
2007–2009 | Nike | |
2009–2011 | WIND | |
2011–2014 | Tzoker | |
2014–2018 | Skrats | |
2018–2021 | bwin | |
2021– | GSA Sport |
Olympiacos' long-time home court is thePeace and Friendship Stadium (Greek: Στάδιο Ειρήνης και Φιλίαςor ΣΕΦ – SEF), which is an indoor arena that is located inFaliro,Piraeus, exactly opposite of theOlympiacos FC football department's home stadium,Karaiskakis Stadium. The arena opened in 1985, and Olympiacos has been using it since 1991. It was originally one of the biggest European indoor arenas, with an original capacity of 17,000 seats, however, its capacity was reduced to 12,171 seats for the2004 Olympics.
Currently, it can seat up to 14,950 with lower additional tiers of seats added to it. 12,000[65][66][67] (11,640 permanent seats, and 360 temporary seats)[68] is the current capacity of the arena for Olympiacos home games. SEF hosted the indoorvolleyball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics, and it was also the host venue of theEuroBasket 1987, and the1998 FIBA World Championship. The arena was renovated for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Olympiacos roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated:September 10, 2024 |
Olympiacos Piraeus retired numbers | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Nat. | Player | Position | Tenure | Date retired |
7 | ![]() | Vassilis Spanoulis | PG/SG | 2010–2021 | September 17, 2023[69][70] |
15 | ![]() | Georgios Printezis | PF | 2001–2009 & 2011–2022 | September 6, 2024[71] |
Date | Pos. | Nat. | Name | From |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 June 2024 | SG | ![]() ![]() | Tyler Dorsey | ![]() |
2 July 2024 | PG | ![]() | Luca Vildoza | ![]() |
6 July 2024 | PG | ![]() | Keenan Evans | ![]() |
25 July 2024 | PF | ![]() ![]() | Aleksandar Vezenkov | ![]() |
2 September 2024 | SF | ![]() | Evan Fournier | ![]() |
11 December 2024 | C | ![]() | Nathan Mensah | ![]() |
27 February 2025 | PG | ![]() | Saben Lee | ![]() |
Date | Pos. | Nat. | Name | To |
---|---|---|---|---|
19 June 2024 | SG | ![]() | Isaiah Canaan | ![]() |
3 July 2024 | PF | ![]() | Luke Sikma | Free Agent |
22 July 2024 | C | ![]() | Georgios Tanoulis | ![]() |
24 July 2024 | SF | ![]() ![]() | Ignas Brazdeikis | ![]() |
29 July 2024 | PG | ![]() | Michalis Lountzis | ![]() |
23 October 2024 | C | ![]() | Filip Petrušev | ![]() |
Season | Achievement | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
EuroLeague | |||
1978–79 | Semi-final group stage | 6th place in a group withEmerson Varese,Bosna,Maccabi Tel Aviv,Real Madrid andJoventut Freixenet | |
1992–93 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–1 byLimoges CSP, 70–67 (W) inPatras, 53–59 (L) and 58–60 (L) inLimoges | |
1993–94 | Final | defeatedPanathinaikos 77–72 in the semi-final, lost to7up Joventut 57–59 in the final (Tel Aviv) | |
1994–95 | Final | defeatedPanathinaikos 58–52 in the semi-final, lost toReal Madrid Teka 61–73 in the final (Zaragoza) | |
1995–96 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–1 byReal Madrid Teka, 68–49 (W) inPiraeus, 77–80 (L) and 65–80 (L) inMadrid | |
1996–97 | European Champions | defeatedSmelt Olimpija 74–65 in the semi-final, defeatedFC Barcelona Banca Catalana 73–58 in the final of theFinal Four in Rome | |
1998–99 | Final Four | 3rd place inMunich, lost toŽalgiris 71–87 in the semi-final, defeatedTeamsystem Bologna 74–63 in the 3rd place game | |
2000–01 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–0 byTau Cerámica, 72–78 (L) inPiraeus, 76–98 (L) inVitoria-Gasteiz | |
2005–06 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–1 byMaccabi Tel Aviv, 78–87 (L) inTel Aviv, 76–70 (W) inPiraeus, 73–77 (L) inTel Aviv | |
2006–07 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–0 byTau Cerámica, 59–84 (L) inVitoria-Gasteiz, 89–95 (L) inPiraeus | |
2007–08 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 2–1 byCSKA Moscow, 76–74 (W) in Moscow, 73–83 (L) inPiraeus, 56–81 (L) in Moscow | |
2008–09 | Final Four | 4th place inBerlin, lost toPanathinaikos 82–84 in the semi-final, lost toFC Barcelona 79–95 in the 3rd place game | |
2009–10 | Final | defeatedPartizan 83–80 in the semi-final, lost toRegal FC Barcelona 68–86 in the final (Paris) | |
2010–11 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 3–1 byMontepaschi Siena, 89–41 (W) & 65–82 (L) inPiraeus, 72–81 (L) and 76–88 (L) inSiena | |
2011–12 | European Champions | defeatedFC Barcelona Regal 68–64 in the semi-final, defeatedCSKA Moscow 62–61 in the final of theFinal Four in Istanbul | |
2012–13 | European Champions | defeatedCSKA Moscow 69–52 in the semi-final, defeatedReal Madrid 100–88 in the final of theFinal Four in London | |
2013–14 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 3–2 byReal Madrid, 71–88 (L), 77–82 (L) inMadrid, 78–76 (W), 71–62 (W) inPiraeus and 69–83 (L) inMadrid | |
2014–15 | Final | defeatedCSKA Moscow 70–68 in the semi-final, lost toReal Madrid 59–78 in the final (Madrid) | |
2016–17 | Final | defeatedCSKA Moscow 82–78 in the semi-final, lost toFenerbahçe 64–80 in the final (Istanbul) | |
2017–18 | Quarter-finals | eliminated 3–1 byŽalgiris, 78–87 (L) & 79–68 (W) inPiraeus, 60–80 (L) and 91–101 (L) inKaunas | |
2021–22 | Final Four | 4th place inBelgrade, lost toAnadolu Efes 74–77 in the semi-final, lost toFC Barcelona 74–84 in the 3rd place game | |
2022–23 | Final | defeatedAS Monaco 76–62 in the semi-final, lost toReal Madrid 78–79 in the final (Kaunas) | |
FIBA Saporta Cup | |||
1975–76 | Quarter-finals | 4th place in a group withRabotnički,ASPO Tours andCSKA Septemvriisko zname | |
FIBA Intercontinental Cup | |||
2013 | Intercontinental Champions | defeatedPinheiros Sky, 81–70 (W) and 86–69 (W) in the double final ofIntercontinental Cup in São Paulo | |
McDonald's Championship | |||
1997 | Final | defeatedAtenas 89–86 in the semi-final, lost toChicago Bulls 78–104 in the final (Paris) |
The road to the 1997 EuroLeague victory
| The road to the 2012 Euroleague victory
| The road to the 2013 Euroleague victory
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Home wins
| Away wins
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The biggest wins in FIBA Saporta Cup
| The biggest wins in FIBA Korać Cup
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On 18 October 1997, Olympiacos became the first Greek team to play against anNBA team. AsEuropean Champions, they played against the back-to-backNBA champions, theChicago Bulls, in the final of the1997 McDonald's Championship in Paris. The game was played under zone-friendly European rules (the games between NBA and FIBA teams were played under a mixture of NBA and FIBA rules at that time), but, out of respect for the Bulls, Olympiacos never used azone defense. Olympiacos lost 78–104, with the legendaryMichael Jordan scoring 27 points in the game.
In October 2009, Olympiacos visited the United States on their 2009NBA tour, and played against theSan Antonio Spurs, at theAT&T Center, and against theCleveland Cavaliers, atQuicken Loans Arena.[73]
18 October 1997 |
Chicago Bulls![]() | 104–78 | ![]() |
Scoring by quarter:30–20,24–23,21–17,29–18 | ||
Pts:Jordan 27 Rebs:Wennington 9 | Pts:Karnišovas 19 Rebs:Tarlać 11 |
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris Attendance: 13,515 Referees:Dick Bavetta (USA), Pascal Dorizon (FRA) |
9 October 2009 08:30 ET |
San Antonio Spurs![]() | 107–89 | ![]() |
Scoring by quarter:39–21,27–25, 17–20,24–23 | ||
Pts:Hill 17 Rebs:Duncan 5 Asts:Ginóbili 5 | Pts:Schortsanitis 16 Rebs:Childress 9 Asts:Papaloukas 4 |
AT&T Center,San Antonio,TX Attendance: 17,677 Referees: George McDaniels (USA), Scott Twardoski (USA), Jamie Morales (USA) |
12 October 2009 07:00 ET |
Cleveland Cavaliers![]() | 111–94 | ![]() |
Scoring by quarter:31–25,29–19,30–21, 21–29 | ||
Pts:Gibson 15 Rebs:Varejão 8 Asts:James 7 | Pts:Childress,Kleiza 16 Rebs:Papaloukas 6 Asts:Papaloukas 7 |
Quicken Loans Arena,Cleveland,OH Attendance: 19,791 Referees: Jeff Smith (USA), Eric Hanspard (USA), Andre Crawford (USA) |
*Olympiacos decided toforfeit their2019 Greek Cup semi-finals game versusPanathinaikos, athalftime, overreffing disputes.[74]
*In the2018–19 Greek Basket League season, Olympiacos decided toforfeit their playoffs series againstPanathinaikos, overreffing disputes. That led to theirrelegation, and a loss of all of their season wins, as a punishment by the Greek Basket League.[75]
Outline | Record |
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Biggest win inA1 Finals (since 1992) | 73–38 (35 points) againstPanathinaikos (1995–96, Game 5,SEF) |
Best regular season record inA1 GBL | 26–0 (2010–11) |
Best regular season & playoffs record inA1 GBL | 33–2 (2014–15,2015–16) |
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50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
EuroLeague Basketball Legend Award
EuroLeague Coach of the Year Award
FIBA Europe Player of the Year Award
Vatican'sGiuseppe Sciacca World Athlete Award
EuroLeague 2001–10 All-Decade Team
EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team
EuroLeague Executive of the Year
Greek Basket League Finals MVP
Greek League Coach of the Year
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
Criteria |
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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Below is the official presidential history of Olympiacos B.C. Before 1991,Olympiacos CFP president was responsible for the management of the basketball team. In 1991, the department became professional andSokratis Kokkalis took over as owner and president.
Period | President |
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1991–2009 | Sokratis Kokkalis |
2009– | Panagiotis Angelopoulos Giorgos Angelopoulos |