P.A.O.K. BC

PAOK vs Chanth (YMCA) during the 1920s.

The men's basketball section of the multi-sports club PAOK AC was created in 1928, when Alekos Alexiadis, a young member of the administration council of PAOK AC (founded in 1926), took the initiative to create a men's basketball team. He "gave birth" to the basketball department again, after World War II. After the war, Alekos Alexiadis began to organize a basketball team from the children that played at the only basketball court in Thessaloniki. The first honor for PAOK's basketball section was the win of the 1959 Greek League. The team was crowned the Champions of Greece, with the following players; Dapontes, Kyriakou, Oikonomou, Paschalis, Stalios, Kokkos, Theoridis, Angelidis, Stergiou, and Konstantinidis, and player-coach Iraklis Klagas. Four years later, the Greek League was reconstructed into a professional National League, but PAOK was placed in the Second National Division, where they won an immediate promotion to the first division the next year. The worst season of the club to date was in 1977, when PAOK avoided relegation, with a 66–53 play-out win over Dimokritos.

PAOK met Panathinaikos in its first Greek Cup Final, in 1982. The Athenians managed to scrape through a two-point victory, despite the game being played in Alexandreio Melathron, the then PAOK home arena. In the next season, the team finished second to Aris, after being defeated in only one game by the champions.

The success of both Aris and PAOK, fueled the ongoing rivalry between their fans, that had long been established in football. In 1984, the two teams reached the Greek Cup Final. PAOK head coach, Faidon Matthaiou, in trying to boost his team's morale, ordered the players to completely shave their heads. PAOK won the Greek Cup by four points (74–70), in what is now remembered as the "final of the shaven heads".

The then 22-year-old Bane Prelević, debuted in the 1988–89 season. He became the definitive leader of PAOK, and a fan favorite. He was often compared to the great Nikos Galis, who was at the time the captain of Aris. Prelević was often quoted for his loyalty to the team. He had a number of injuries and medical emergencies because of weak legs, but he would constantly choose to take heavy dosages of painkillers, rather than missing out on important games.

Over the 80s, PAOK was second to Aris in the Greek League.

PAOK brought limitless joy to its fans, by winning the European 2nd-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, when PAOK defeated CAI Zaragoza in Geneva, by a score of 76–72, on March 26, 1991.

The next season, PAOK reached once again in the final of the same competition (called FIBA European Cup), but lost to Real Madrid Asegurator, by a score of 63–65. The game was going to overtime, as the two teams were equal at 63 points, when Panagiotis Fasoulas lost the ball by Rickey Brown in the last 2 seconds, and Real Madrid scored an unexpected basket. The same year, PAOK won the Greek League championship, by beating out Aris in the final four mini league and Olympiacos in the play-off finals.

The 1992–93 season PAOK with a brilliant starting five roster (John Korfas, Bane Prelević, Cliff Levingston, Ken Barlow and Panagiotis Fasoulas) and under the coaching of Dušan Ivković, participated in the 1992–93 FIBA European League (now called EuroLeague), which was the club's first appearance in the top-tier level European league, and managed to reach the Final Four in Piraeus, Athens. PAOK lost in the semifinal game to the Italian champions Benetton Treviso, which was led by the Croat superstar Toni Kukoč, by a score of 77–79 and two days later in the third-place game PAOK defeated Real Madrid Teka of Arvydas Sabonis and Rickey Brown.

In 1994, PAOK returned to European success, by winning the European 3rd-tier level FIBA Korać Cup, in a two-leg final against Stefanel Trieste, winning both at home and away, by 9 points. The following year, PAOK won the Greek Cup, in a 19-point victory against Chipita Panionios, 72–53. The 1995–96 season PAOK reached once again in the final of the FIBA European Cup, but lost to Taugrés, by a score of 81–88. Three years later in 1999, PAOK again won the Greek Cup, by defeating AEK, by a score of 71–54.

The new home of PAOK, the PAOK Sports Arena, able to hold 8,500 fans, was inaugurated on 17 March 2000. That marked the end of a long period of time of sharing the home court of Alexandreio Melathron with Aris. Bane Prelević returned to PAOK, after quick spells at Kinder Bologna and AEK, and then quit basketball at the end of the season. He later returned to PAOK in the 2001–02 season, as an assistant coach.

During the 90s, PAOK was one of the top teams in the Greek League, winning in 1992, and playing in the finals in 1994, 1998 and 2000. PAOK played in the semifinals each year, and won 3rd place in 1993, 1997 and 1999.

PAOK played in the inaugural 2000–01 Euroleague, reaching the Round of 16. However, difficult financial situations led the Greek finalists to struggle in the Greek League, finishing in only 8th place. Over the next few years, results in the Greek League started improving - in 2001-2002, PAOK still finished 8th, while in 2002-2003, PAOK finished in 7th pace. Prelević became the team's head coach, and led the team into a short winning streak. PAOK had limited success in European competitions around this time, participating in FIBA competitions.

PAOK finished in 6th place in the 2003–04 Greek League season, boasting a squad full of youngsters, like Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Kostas Vasileiadis and Loukas Mavrokefalidis. During the season, PAOK withdrew from FIBA competitions, and in the 2004-2005 season, made their debut in the ULEB Cup, reaching the quarefinals, but losing to BC Lietuvos rytas. In the Greek League, PAOK finished in 6th place. In 2005-2006, PAOK finished in 6th place in the Greek League.

A month after the start of the 2006–07 Greek League season, Prelević was replaced as head coach by Kostas Pilafidis, and he then assumed a non-technical position, as the General Manager of the team. During a game that year, PAOK and Aris put on a spectacular show that PAOK ended up winning, after two overtime periods.[3] PAOK returned to the ULEB Cup, once again playing in the playoffs. In the Greek League, PAOK finished 6th after losing to Olympiacos.

The 2007-2008 season became one of the worst in PAOK history, with PAOK finishing in disastrous 12th place. However, during the season, PAOK picked up a great victory against Olympiacos. Disappointing European campaigns have led to PAOK taking a break, focusing on the Greek League. Over the next to seasons, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, PAOK rebounded, finishing in 7th and 5th place respectively. Before the 2009-2010 season, Soulis Markopoulos became the new head coach for PAOK.

PAOK won 3rd place in the Greek League in 2010-2011. The success allowed PAOK to play in the EuroLeague qualifying tournament in 2011-2012. In 2011-2012, however, PAOK finished in a disappointing 8th place in the Greek League and missed European competition for 2012-2013. In 2012-2013, PAOK finished in 5th place, and returned to European competition, in the 2nd tier EuroCup Basketball. In the Greek League, PAOK won 3rd place in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. In 2015-2016, PAOK finished 5th. After the 2015–17 FIBA–Euroleague Basketball controversy, PAOK returned to FIBA competition, playing in the Basketball Champions League. After finishing 5th in 2016-2017, Markoupolos was replaced by Ilias Papatheodorou. In 2017-2018, PAOK won 3rd place in the Greek League.

• Greek League

Winners (2): 1958–59, 1991–92

Runners-up (8): 1959–60, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1999–00

• Greek Cup

Winners (3): 1983–84, 1994–95, 1998–99

Runners-up (5): 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 2018–19

• EuroLeague

3rd place (1): 1992–93

Final Four (1): 1993

• FIBA Saporta Cup (defunct)

Winners (1): 1990–91

Runners-up (2): 1991–92, 1995–96

Semifinalists (1): 1989–90

• FIBA Korać Cup (defunct)

Winners (1): 1993–94