Panathinaikos B.C., also simplified to Panathinaikos or PAO and officially referred to as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for sponsorship reasons, is the professional basketball team of the major Athens-based multi-sport club Panathinaikos A.O.. It is owned by the Giannakopoulos family.
The parent athletic club was founded in 1908, while the basketball team was established in 1919. Panathinaikos is one of the only Greek teams never to have been relegated from the top division, with participation in every Greek First Division Championship.
Panathinaikos has developed into the most successful basketball club in Greek basketball history and one of the most successful teams in European basketball.