Greek Basketball League
First-tier professional men's basketball league in Greece
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Greek Basketball League (GBL), also known as Stoiximan GBL for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the Hellenic Basketball Association (abbreviated as HEBA; Greek: ΕΣΑΚΕ), under the legal authority of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (abbreviated as HBF; Greek: ΕΟΚ).
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| Founded | 1927 |
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| First season | 1927–28 |
| Country | Greece |
| Federation | HEBA |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Elite League |
| Domestic cup | Greek Cup |
| Supercup | GBL Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | EuroLeague EuroCup FIBA Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
| Current champions | Olympiacos (16th title) |
| Most championships | Panathinaikos (40 titles) |
| All-time top scorer |  Nikos Galis |
| President | Michalis Melis |
| TV partners | Skai TV |
| Website | www |
 2026–27 GBL season | |
The GBL follows FIBA rules, runs from October to June, and currently consists of 14 teams, each playing 26 games during the regular season, with the top 8 teams then competing in playoffs to determine the champion. The lowest-ranked team of the regular season is relegated to the Greek Elite League and replaced by the top team in that division, while a second team is promoted through playoffs.
The first official Greek basketball championship was held in the 1927–28 season, while its nationwide format was introduced in the 1963–64 season and the playoff round in the 1986–87 season. The league allowed foreign (non-Greek) players to participate for the first time in the 1988–89 season and became a fully professional competition in the 1992–93 season. Historically, the GBL has been ranked as one of the top 3 domestic leagues in European basketball.
History
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The first official regional club basketball tournament in Greece took place in 1924,[1] while the first edition of the Greek basketball championship was held in 1927–28. There have been four official championship eras. The first was the Panhellenic Championship (Πανελλήνιο Πρωτάθλημα), organized by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) and lasting from the 1927–28 to the 1962–63 season, where the champions of the regional tournaments played each other to determine the Greek Champion.
The second era started in the 1963–64 season, when the A' National Category (Α' Εθνική Κατηγορία) or Alpha National Category was established.[2] In 1969, the Hellenic Basketball Federation took over the supervision of the competition from SEGAS.
The third era took place between the 1986–87 and 1991–92 seasons. The A' National Category was divided into the first-tier A1 National Category (Α1 Εθνική Κατηγορία) and the second-tier A2 National Category (Α2 Εθνική Κατηγορία), while playoffs were introduced for the first time after the regular season. The 1988–89 season marked the first time that league teams were allowed to have foreign players on their rosters.
The fourth era began in the 1992–93 season, when the Hellenic Basketball Association (HEBA) took over the competition and renamed the A1 National Category to HEBA A1 (ΕΣΑΚΕ Α1). In the 2012–13 season, HEBA A1 was renamed to Basket League and in the 2024-25 season to Greek Basketball League (GBL).[3]
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GBL HOF
The GBL emerged during the 1990s as the most competitive European basketball league[4] and after a relative decline in the following decades, it is currently ranked among the best domestic leagues in Europe and the world.[5][6] It is also ranked as one of the top 3 European domestic leagues of all time along with the Spanish Liga ACB and the Italian Lega Basket Serie A.[7]
The league features two of the top European basketball clubs, Panathinaikos (7 EuroLeague titles) and Olympiacos (4 EuroLeague titles), as well as other successful clubs in European competitions, such as AEK (2 FIBA Saporta Cup titles, 1 FIBA Champions League title), Aris (1 FIBA Saporta Cup title, 1 FIBA Korać Cup title, 1 FIBA EuroCup Challenge title), PAOK (1 FIBA Saporta Cup title, 1 FIBA Korać Cup title) and Maroussi (1 FIBA Saporta Cup title). The first five clubs are also the most widely supported in Greece.[8]
Although the championship has been held 86 times, only nine clubs have won it to date. The dominant one is Panathinaikos, having celebrated 40 titles. The "Greens" were the most successful club in the 1970s, 2000s and 2010s, AEK in the 1960s and Olympiacos in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Aris, led by Nikos Galis and Panagiotis Giannakis, was the best Greek club and one of the strongest in Europe, and is credited with boosting the interest of the Greek public in the sport.[9] Other clubs that have won the championship are Panellinios, PAOK, Iraklis, Near East and University of Athens. Since the establishment of the A' National Category in the 1963–64 season, only two clubs have participated in every season of the competition, Panathinaikos and Aris.
Brand
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GBL HOF
Name
- Amateur era (1927–28 to 1991–92):
- 1927–28 to 1960–61: Panhellenic Championship
- 1961–62 to 1962–63: Panhellenic First Category Championship (1st) (A)
- 1963–64 to 1985–86: Alpha (A) National Category
- 1986–87 to 1991–92: Alpha Ena (A1) National Category
- Professional era (1992–93 to present):
- 1992–93 to 2011–12: HEBA Alpha Ena (A1)
- 2012–13 to 2023–24: Basket League
- 2024–25 to present: Greek Basketball League (GBL)
Logo
2012–2013
2013–2024
Regulations
The championship, in its current form, has been organized since the 1992–93 season by the Hellenic Basketball Association (HEBA), under the authority of the Hellenic Basketball Federation. The fully professional Greek basketball clubs compete in the first division championship, which is often colloquially called the "A1", in which 12 teams compete for the Greek National Championship. There is also a professional level second division championship that is run entirely by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, which is called the "A2", in which 16 teams compete for the second division crown. The bottom one place finishing team each year in the A1 division standings is relegated to the A2 division, due to poor performance. While conversely, the top one teams each year from the A2 division is promoted to the A1 division, due to good performance.
Club and arena standards
In order to compete in the Greek Basketball League, clubs must invest a minimum of €1 million on club operations per season. The minimum club budget per season is €800,000, and each club must also invest €200,000 into a league-wide fund that insures players get their full salaries. Most of the league's clubs invest more than the minimum requirements in each season.
Currently, Greek Basketball League clubs must play their home games in arenas with a seating capacity of at least 2,000 people, in order to play Greek domestic league games. Some Greek clubs have two arenas that they primarily use. One for domestic Greek League games, and one for European-wide games.
Greek clubs that play in European-wide competitions, such as the EuroLeague, the EuroCup, or the FIBA Champions League, must play their home games in those leagues in arenas that fit the arena standards of those leagues. Which are currently, a 5,000 seat minimum for the EuroLeague, and a 3,000 seat minimum for the EuroCup and FIBA Champions League.
Foreign players
Greek Basketball League teams were first allowed to have foreign (non-Greek) players on their rosters in the 1988–89 season. Under the league's current foreign player rules, Greek Basketball League teams must have at least 6 players with Greek citizenship on their active 12-man game rosters. Each team is allowed to have up to 6 foreign (non-Greek) players on their active 12-man game roster.
Starting with the 2022–23 season, each team can have a total of up to 7 foreign players registered on its active league roster. However, every team is obliged to select only 6 of them for the 12 man game rosters, right before each game is started. Originally, that rotation of 6 of the 7 foreign players was not allowed to take place during the league's playoffs. However, it was ultimately decided that starting with the 2023–24 season, the aforementioned rotation of 6 out of the 7 foreign players on each team's roster, is also allowed in the league's playoffs.
However, there are no restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed by country of origin, or on the overall total number of foreign players allowed to be signed to a team's roster. Meaning that for example, any team in the league can sign any number of American players, Canadian players, or players from European countries, etc., that it wants to, and that any team in the league can sign as many foreign players overall to its roster as it wants to, but that they can only register 7 of them at a time to the active roster, and that they can only play 6 of them in any one game.
Clubs
Champions
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Source: [10]
| Club | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Panathinaikos Athens | 40 | 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, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24 |
| Olympiacos Piraeus | 16 | 1948–49, 1959–60, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25, 2025–26 |
| Aris Thessaloniki | 10 | 1929–30, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 |
| AEK Athens | 8 | 1957–58, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1969–70, 2001–02 |
| Panellinios Athens | 6 | 1928–29, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57 |
| Iraklis Thessaloniki | 2 | 1927–28, 1934–35 |
| PAOK Thessaloniki | 2 | 1958–59, 1991–92 |
| Near East Athens | 1 | 1935–36 |
| University of Athens | 1 | 1936–37 |
2026–27 season participants
| Club | Location | Arena | Cap. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEK | Athens | SUNEL Arena | 9,025 |
| Aris | Thessaloniki | Alexandreio Melathron | 5,138 |
| Doxa | Lefkada | Lefkada Indoor Hall | 1,200 |
| Iraklis | Thessaloniki | Ivanofeio Indoor Hall | 2,400 |
| Karditsa | Karditsa | Giannis Bourousis Indoor Hall | 3,007 |
| Kolossos | Rhodes | Kallithea Indoor Hall | 3,400 |
| Maroussi | Athens | Agios Thomas Indoor Hall | 1,700 |
| Mykonos | Mykonos | Panagiotis Chaniotis Indoor Hall | 400 |
| Olympiacos | Piraeus | ||
| Panathinaikos | Athens | Telekom Center Athens | 19,443 |
| PAOK | Thessaloniki | PAOK Sports Arena | 8,142 |
| Peristeri | Athens | Andreas Papandreou Indoor Hall | 4,000 |
| Promitheas | Patras | Dimitris Tofalos Indoor Hall | 5,500 |
| Vikos | Ioannina | Ioannina New Indoor Hall | 400 |
Number of seasons in the top-tier level Greek Basket League in total (1928 to 2026–27)
The total number of times that each club has played in the top-tier level Greek Basket League, through all of its different league formats.
- 1927–28 to 1960–61: Panhellenic Championship
- 1961–62 to 1962–63: Panhellenic First Category Championship (1st) (A)
- 1963–64 to 1985–86: Alpha (A) National Category
- 1986–87 to 1991–92: Alpha1 (A1) National Category
- 1992–93 to 2011–12: HEBA Alpha1 (A1)
- 2012–13 to 2023–24: Basket League
- 2024–25 to present: Greek Basketball League (GBL)
Note: The 2026–27 GBL clubs are highlighted.
Number of seasons in the A and A1 National Categories by club (1963–64 to 2026–27)
- 1963–64 to 1985–86: Alpha (A) National Category
- 1986–87 to 1991–92: Alpha1 (A1) National Category
- 1992–93 to 2011–12: HEBA Alpha1 (A1)
- 2012–13 to 2023–24: Basket League
- 2024–25 to present: Greek Basketball League (GBL)
Note: The 2026–27 GBL clubs are highlighted.
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Number of seasons in the Panhellenic Championship (1927–28 to 1962–63)
The number of times that clubs participated in the league's original format, the Panhellenic Championship.
Note: The 2026–27 GBL clubs are highlighted.
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Playoff finals
Results
Since the 1986–87 season, the champion has been determined through playoff rounds held after the end of the regular season.
The results of the playoff finals are as follows.
| Season | Home court advantage |
Result | Home court disadvantage |
1st of regular season |
Reg. season record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | Aris | 3–0 | Panionios | Aris | 18–0 |
| 1987–88 | Aris | 3–0 | PAOK | Aris | 18–0 |
| 1988–89 | Aris | 3–1 | PAOK | Aris | 17–1 |
| 1989–90 | Aris was declared champion through a round-robin tournament between the top four teams of the regular season. |
PAOK | 20–2 | ||
| 1990–91 | Aris | 4–2 | PAOK | Aris | 20–2 |
| 1991–92 | PAOK | 4–1 | Olympiacos | PAOK | 20–2 |
| 1992–93 | Panathinaikos | 1–3 | Olympiacos | PAOK | 22–4 |
| 1993–94 | Olympiacos | 3–2 | PAOK | Olympiacos | 22–4 |
| 1994–95 | Olympiacos | 3–2 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 24–2 |
| 1995–96 | Olympiacos | 3–2 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 24–2 |
| 1996–97 | Olympiacos | 3–1 | AEK | Olympiacos | 21–5 |
| 1997–98 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | PAOK | Panathinaikos | 21–5 |
| 1998–99 | Olympiacos | 2–3 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 21–5 |
| 1999–00 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | PAOK | Olympiacos | 21–5 |
| 2000–01 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 22–4 |
| 2001–02 | AEK | 3–2 | Olympiacos | AEK | 23–3 |
| 2002–03 | Panathinaikos | 3–1 | AEK | Panathinaikos | 21–5 |
| 2003–04 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | Maroussi | Panathinaikos | 22–4 |
| 2004–05 | Panathinaikos | 3–1 | AEK | Panathinaikos | 22–4 |
| 2005–06 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 24–2 |
| 2006–07 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 24–2 |
| 2007–08 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 23–3 |
| 2008–09 | Olympiacos | 1–3 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 25–1 |
| 2009–10 | Panathinaikos | 3–1 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 25–1 |
| 2010–11 | Olympiacos | 1–3 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 26–0 |
| 2011–12 | Olympiacos | 3–2 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 23–1 |
| 2012–13 | Olympiacos | 0–3 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 25–1 |
| 2013–14 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 25–1 |
| 2014–15 | Olympiacos | 3–0 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 25–1 |
| 2015–16 | Olympiacos | 3–1 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 25–1 |
| 2016–17 | Olympiacos | 2–3 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 25–1 |
| 2017–18 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 26–0 |
| 2018–19 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | Promitheas | AEK | 18–8 |
| 2019–20 | Panathinaikos was declared champion through regular season standings due to the COVID-19 pandemic[11] |
Panathinaikos | 18–2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Panathinaikos | 3–1 | Lavrio | Panathinaikos | 20–2 |
| 2021–22 | Olympiacos | 3–0 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 23–1 |
| 2022–23 | Olympiacos | 3–1 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 22–0 |
| 2023–24 | Panathinaikos | 3–2 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 26–1 |
| 2024–25 | Panathinaikos | 1–3 | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | 22–0 |
| 2025–26 | Olympiacos | 3–2 | Panathinaikos | Olympiacos | 24–0 |
Participations by club
| Club | W | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panathinaikos | 20 | 10 | 30 |
| Olympiacos | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Aris | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| PAOK | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| AEK | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Panionios | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maroussi | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Promitheas | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lavrio | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Statistics
Best regular season records in the history of the A and A1 National Categories (1963–2024)
- 1963–64 to 1985–86: Alpha (A) National Category
- 1986–87 to 1991–92: Alpha1 (A1) National Category
- 1992–93 to 2009–10: HEBA Alpha1 (A1)
- 2010–11 to 2023–24: Greek Basket League
- 2024–25 to present: Greek Basketball League (GBL)
A and A1 National Category (1963–2024)
| Season | Team | Regular season Record | Playoff record | Final Record (Including playoffs) | Final Season Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | Aris | 26-0 | — | 26-0 | Champion |
| 1967–68 | AEK | 22-0 | — | 22-0 | Champion |
| 1975–76 | Olympiacos | 22-0 | — | 22-0 | Champion |
| 1986–87 | Aris | 18-0 | 3-0 | 21-0 | Champion |
| 1987–88 | Aris | 18-0 | 3-0 | 21-0 | Champion |
| 2017–18 | Panathinaikos | 26-0 | 8-2 | 34-2 | Champion |
| 1979–80 | Panathinaikos | 16-0 | 12-2 | 28-2 | Champion |
| 2010–11 | Olympiacos | 26-0 | 6–3 | 32–3 | Finalist |
The best overall season records of the HEBA A1 (1992–2026)
| Season | Club | Regular season Record | Playoff record | Final Record | Final Season Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Panathinaikos | 26–0 | 8–2 | 34–2 | Champion |
| 2009–10 | Panathinaikos | 25–1 | 8–1 | 33–2 | Champion |
| 2014–15 | Olympiacos | 25–1 | 8–1 | 33–2 | Champion |
| 2015–16 | Olympiacos | 25–1 | 8–1 | 33–2 | Champion |
| 2013–14 | Panathinaikos | 25–1 | 8–2 | 33–3 | Champion |
| 2023–24 | Panathinaikos | 26–1 | 7–2 | 33–3 | Champion |
| 2005–06 | Panathinaikos | 24–2 | 8–0 | 32–2 | Champion |
| 2018–19 | Panathinaikos | 24–2 | 8–0 | 32–2 | Champion |
| 2010–11 | Panathinaikos | 24–2 | 8–1 | 32–3 | Champion |
| 2010–11 | Olympiacos | 26–0 | 6–3 | 32–3 | Finalist |
| 2006–07 | Panathinaikos | 24–2 | 8–2 | 32–4 | Champion |
| 2021–22 | Olympiacos | 23–1 | 8–0 | 31–1 | Champion |
| 2011–12 | Olympiacos | 23–1 | 8–2 | 31–3 | Champion |
| 2008–09 | Olympiacos | 25–1 | 6–3 | 31–4 | Finalist |
| 2016–17 | Panathinaikos | 25–1 | 6–3 | 31–4 | Champion |
| 2022–23 | Olympiacos | 22–0 | 8–1 | 30–1 | Champion |
| 2025–26 | Olympiacos | 24–0 | 7–2 | 31–2 | Champion |
Greek basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions
Awards and players
All-time stats leaders
The all-time stats leaders of the HEBA fully professional level era Greek Basketball League, from the 1992–93 season to the present. These are the officially recognized league stats leaders. Although the Greek Basketball League officially recognizes results and championships from the earlier formats of the league, it only officially recognizes the stats leaders since the league's professional era began, with the 1992–93 season. The competition's stats from years prior, when the league was officially classified as an amateur level competition, are officially recognized by All-time Top 10 scorers.
1.Nikos Galis 384 12,864 33.5
2.Vassilis Goumas 412 11,030 26.8
3.Panagiotis Giannakis 493 9,291 18.8
4.Apostolos Kontos 8,712
5.Takis Koroneos 7,465
6.Angelos Koronios 448 7,080 15.8
7.Dimitris Fosses 408 6,809 16.7
8.Pavlos Stamelos 361 6,645 18.4
9.Minas Gekos 6,511
10.Steve Giatzoglou 6,044
- Through the 2023–24 season.
- Currently active players in the league in bold.
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