Aris B.C.
Aris Basketball Club (Greek: Άρης K.A.E., transliterated into English Aris B.S.A.) known in European competitions as Aris Thessaloniki, is the professional basketball team of the major Thessaloniki-based Greek multi-sport club A.C. Aris Thessaloniki. Aris BC was founded in 1922, eight years after the founding of the club and the football team. Their traditional home ground is Alexandreio Melathron (Nick Galis Hall).
Aris BC is one of the most successful Greek basketball clubs of all time, tallying 10 Greek Championships, 8 Greek Cups making four times the Double (1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90). They have won also three European titles: the FIBA Saporta Cup (1992–93), the FIBA Korać Cup (1996-97) and the FIBA EuroCup Challenge (2002–03). They are also the only unrelegated team with participation in every First Division Championship until today (together with Panathinaikos BC).
Under the leadership of the legendary duo of Nikos Galis and Panagiotis Giannakis, Aris was the dominant force in Greek basketball during the 1980s and early 1990s. It is for this period of dominance that Aris BC has been nicknamed "The Emperor" and voted the most successful Greek sporting club of the 20th century. Aris is also one of the most renown Greek clubs in European basketball, participating in three consecutive Euroleague Final Fours, and later on winning three lower tier European titles. The historic win of the 1997 Korać Cup, in particular, bolstered the notion that Aris has a unique place in the history of Greek basketball and generally in the history of Greek sports.
