Traditionally, Greece is considered one of the world’s top basketball powers. They were runners-up at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and have won the European Championship twice, in 1987 and 2005. Greece is frequently ranked among the top 10 in the FIBA World Rankings. Basketball has a long tradition in Greece, as the country was one of the eight founding members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Current Greek players in the NBA include Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, a multiple-time MVP and NBA champion, and Kostas Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks as well. Past Greek NBA players include Predrag Stojaković, Andreas Glyniadakis, and Kosta Koufos, highlighting Greece’s continued impact on international basketball.

​

Athens, the capital city of Greece, is an ancient city steeped in many centuries of history. Home of the Olympics, the original modern-day Olympic Games were held in the city of Athens over 100 years ago. In 2004, the Olympic Games finally returned here and the city underwent an enormous facelift. Within Athens, there are eight large hills, including the Acropolis. A trip to the Greek capital's most famous tourist attraction, the impressive Parthenon, which was built on the Acropolis around 2,500 years ago, will be memorable to say the least.

Thessaloniki is a Greek port city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. Evidence of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history remains, especially around Ano Poli, which is the upper town. The ruins of Roman Emperor Galerius’ 4th-century palace include the Rotunda, which has served as both a church and a mosque. Much of the city center was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917.