P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 department of the Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...

, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues. The club has maintained a presence in the Greek First Division (A1 Ethniki

A1 Ethniki

The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...

) since the year 1960.

Well-known players that have played with the club over the years have included: Peja Stojaković

Predrag Stojakovic

Predrag Stojaković , also known by his nickname Peja , is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . Standing at 6 ft 10 , Stojaković plays the small forward position...

, John Korfas

John Korfas

Jon Anthony Korfas is a retired Greek American professional basketball player and a professional basketball coach.-Pro career:...

, Panagiotis Fasoulas

Panagiotis Fasoulas

Panagiotis Fasoulas is a Greek politician and former professional basketball player...

, Nikos Stavropoulos

Nikos Stavropoulos

Nikos "Magic" Stavropoulos , aka Professor Nicholas "Magic" Stavropoulos, is a former professional Greek professional basketball player that played for Gymnastikos S. Larissas, PAOK BC, and Iraklis BC at the pro club level in Greece's A1 Ethniki basketball league. He began his career with his local...

, Scott Skiles

Scott Skiles

Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with 30...

, Rasho Nesterovič, Zoran Savić

Zoran Savic

Zoran Savić is a retired Serbian professional basketball player. The 208 cm forward played in various European nations.-Career:...

, Walter "The Truth" Berry, Charles Shackleford

Charles Shackleford

Charles Edward Shackleford is an American former professional basketball player.Shackleford played collegiate basketball at North Carolina State University for 3 seasons . He was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2nd round of the 1988 NBA Draft...

, Lawrence Funderburke

Lawrence Funderburke

Lawrence Damon Funderburke is a retired American basketball player, formerly of the National Basketball Association.-Basketball career:...

, Conrad McRae

Conrad McRae

Conrad Bastien McRae was an American professional basketball player who was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 2nd round of the 1993 NBA Draft. McRae's professional career flourished overseas in Europe for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey...

, Anthony Bonner

Anthony Bonner

Anthony Bonner is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1st round of the 1990 NBA Draft. He played six seasons in the NBA for the Kings, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic averaging 6.9 ppg in his career...

, Tracy Murray

Tracy Murray

Tracy Lamonte Murray is a retired American professional basketball player who played for six different NBA franchises and two Greek clubs, with a final stint in France...

, Cliff Levingston

Cliff Levingston

Clifford Eugene Levingston is a retired American basketball player in the NBA. Levingston starred at Wichita State University before being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1982...

, Ken Barlow

Ken Barlow (basketball)

Kenneth Barlow is an American former professional basketball player.Barlow graduated from University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.- Basketball career :...

, Rafael Addison

Rafael Addison

Rafael Addison is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is 6'7", 215 lbs....

, Damir Mulaomerović

Damir Mulaomerovic

Damir Mulaomerovic is a Bosnian-born Croatian professional basketball player who currently plays for KK Zagreb....

 and above all the great legend, the team's captain and leader on and off the court, Branislav Prelević

Branislav Prelevic

Branislav "Bane" Prelević is a retired Serbian-Greek professional basketball player. Prelević was born to Serbian parents in Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia. Prelević holds Serbian-Greek dual citizenship because of having Hellenic ancestry.-PAOK BC:He started his career with Red Star Belgrade...

,
The basketball section of PAOK

PAOK

The Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , abbreviated P.A.O.K. , is a Macedonian sports club in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club is home to several teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo, swimming, wrestling, hockey and weightlifting. P.A.O.K. was...

 was created in 1928 when Alekos Alexiadis, a young member of the administration council, took the initiative to create a basketball team.