Greek teams have dominated the EuroLeague Final Four in the modern era.
As Athens gears up to host the EuroLeague Final Four this weekend, one of the most eagerly anticipated events in European basketball, Turkey's Fenerbahce Beko will be dreaming of back-to-back glory.
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It's also a big opportunity for regular season leader Olympiacos, which is looking to claim its first title since 2013 on the court of its fiercest rival, Panathinaikos.
Olympiacos face off against Fenerbahce on Friday, while Spanish sides Real Madrid and Valencia will play for the remaining spot in Sunday's final.
Valencia made a remarkable run to the semifinals, bouncing back from two home defeats against Panathinaikos to book their place in the game. Real Madrid, meanwhile, is one of the most decorated clubs in the competition's history and will be keen to get back to the top of the sport.
The Final Four format has been staged each year since 1988, though the "modern EuroLeague" era is widely considered to have begun with the 2000–01 season.
Since then, Greece has been the most successful nation with seven titles, followed by Spain with five, Turkey with four and Russia, also with four. Israel has won another three titles and Italy one.
Panathinaikos is the standout club in the modern era with five titles, ahead of CSKA Moscow (four) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (three).
Fenerbahce, Anadolu Efes, FC Barcelona and Olympiacos have each won two titles in the past 24 seasons, while Virtus Bologna has one.
Real Madrid leads the all-time list
According to the EuroLeague's official website, Real Madrid holds the record for the most championships in European basketball history, with data going back to 1958, pre-Final Four era. The Spanish club has won 11 titles in all.
CSKA Moscow is second all-time with eight championships, while modern era leader Panathinaikos has seven.
EuroLeague legend De Colo aims for final glory
One of the most dramatic subplots to this year's Final Four playoff is Nando de Colo's quest to add another EuroLeague title to his collection before his retirement.
The competition's all-time second-highest point scorer won the trophy with CSKA Moscow in 2016 and 2019 and is now aiming to complete the hat-trick following his mid-season move to Fenerbahce from French club LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
"It's going to be my last season, and joining Fenerbahce was a great opportunity for me. I talked a lot with my wife and we were on the same page: let's go. We have big goals to reach with Fenerbahce and this was a big motivation for me, so to be here at this Final Four is a great feeling," de Colo said this week.