About

A.E.K Basketball Club (Greek: Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Athlitiki Enosis Constantinoupoleos, means Athletic Union of Constantinople), also known simply as AEK BC (Greek: Α.Ε.Κ. Κ.Α.Ε.) or AEK, known in European competitions as AEK Athens, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece, part of the major multi-sport club A.E.K.. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). AEK was the first-ever Greek basketball team, not only to reach a European Cup Final, but also to win a European title. On April 4, 1968, AEK defeated Slavia VŠ Praha by a score of 89-82, in Athens in front of 80,000 fans. They have won the Greek Basket League 8 times (1957–58, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1969–70, 2001–02), and the Greek Basketball Cup 3 times (1980–81, 1999–00, 2000–01), while they have also twice won the FIBA Saporta Cup (former European Cup Winners' Cup) (1967–68 and 1999-00). They are one of the most popular Greek clubs, with millions of fans in both Greece and Cyprus, as well as in the Greek communities all over the world, mainly in Australia, the United Kingdom, and North America. Well-known players that have played with the club over the years have included: Rolando Blackman, Ricky Pierce, Danny Vranes, Ruben Patterson, Kurt Rambis, J.R. Holden, Willie Anderson, Joe Arlauckas, Anthony Bowie, Arijan Komazec, Martin Müürsepp, Clint Richardson, Bill Edwards, Victor Alexander, Claudio Coldebella, İbrahim Kutluay, Pero Antić, Carl English, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Bane Prelević, Georgios Amerikanos, Georgios Trontzos, Vassilis Goumas, Minas Gekos, Kostas Patavoukas, Angelos Koronios, Michalis Kakiouzis, Nikos Chatzis, Jake Tsakalidis, Nikos Zisis, Nasos Galakteros, Dimos Dikoudis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Ioannis Bourousis and Loukas Mavrokefalidis. AEK B.C. has been named as the best Greek team in all sports, at either the sports club or national team level, on three separate occasions, in 1965, 1966, and 1968, by SJA of Greece (the Sports Journalists' Association of Greece, Greek: ΠΣΑΤ).