The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is striving for more attention with a new marketer and has also set itself ambitious financial goals at the start of the new season. The euphoria surrounding the basketball world champions should bring a further boost.
A good three weeks have passed since the historic World Cup triumph in Manila. Basketball Germany is actually still in party mode. World champions Isaac Bonga, Niels Giffey and Andi Obst were last seen partying at the Munich Oktoberfest, with beer tankards in their hands, becoming an evergreen event “We are the champions”.
Basketball world champion Isaac Bonga, Niels Giffey, Andi Obst (from left) at the Oktoberfest
When the new season in the Bundesliga starts on Wednesday (September 27th, 2023) with the opening game Ulm against Chemnitz, the anticipation will certainly not have diminished in the still rather small German basketball community, which is now suddenly in the country of World champion is home.
BBL league boss Holz: Boost through World Cup title
“The success of the national team will definitely give the BBL a boost“, says managing director Stefan Holz in the Sportschau interview. The increased attention caused by the World Cup triumph also comes in handy for the Bundesliga because it is currently in the process of reinventing itself to a certain extent. From the new season onwards, the games will be played on the streaming service “Dyn”, which is closely linked economically to the Springer Group.
The league also wants to get out of the bubble, explains managing director Holz: “Basketball in Germany is still too small. The goal is a different perception for the BBL. More relevance, a higher presence among the sports-interested public. Not just on match days, but also during the week.”
The BBL expects the new media partner and the associated Springer publications (“Sportbild”) to have more reach on digital channels. The clubs themselves are also required to produce more of their own “content” for social media in the future.
The BBL wants to reach the next level economically after the clubs have survived the pandemic-related slump without major losses. With a total budget of around 130 million euros, the league has recently returned to pre-Corona levels.
It also fits that for the first time since 2018 there are two regular promoted teams from Pro A, the second league, Tübingen and Vechta. In previous years, some possible second division newcomers had to pass for economic reasons. All BBL clubs were also able to meet the licensing requirements for the new season.
BBL on course for growth – Budget doubling until 2032
The league has adopted a ten-year plan, according to which the minimum budget for the clubs is to be gradually doubled from the current three million euros to six million euros by 2032. The prescribed capacity for the halls is also set to increase, from the current 3,000 to 4,500 fans.
Some clubs have already met these requirements, says league commissioner Holz and is confident that the ambitious growth goals will be achieved. “The clubs are working on it and they will get it done.”
New attempt – also for surprise champions Ulm
The BBL has recently noticeably improved in terms of sport: the Baskets Bonn won an international title with the Champions League. The people of Bonn also played their part in ending the long-term reign of Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich, the two German Euroleague teams that had fought for the title since 2018. Bonn, the best team of the regular season, only had to admit defeat to the high-flying team from Ulm in the final series.
However, many people doubt whether the new season will end with such a surprise. The champions from Ulm had to cope with the departure of their two outstanding players, Bruno Caboclo and Yago dos Santos, who helped the Ulm team win the title. Ulm is at most a challenger – a role that they will happily accept.
The Bonn team even had to completely rebuild their team after almost all of the players, including successful coach Tuomas Iisalo, left.
Without Luke Sikma and Maodo Lo – end of an era in Berlin
At Alba Berlin, champions three times in a row from 2020 to 2022, an era of success came to an end in the summer: with the long-time captain Luke Sikma and playmaker Maodo Lo said goodbye to two key players and real identification figures. Also the former league MVP Jaleen Smith left the Albatrosses.
With Sterling Brown and Matt Thomas Two players with a lot of NBA experience came along. The Berliners, led by world champion and new captain Johannes Thiemann, have already shown in the past that they can compensate for prominent departures. They are still the team that can challenge top favorites FC Bayern for the title.
FC Bayern top favorite – with Serge Ibaka and coach Pablo Laso
The Munich team is the strongest German block in the league, alongside the world champion trio Bonga, Obst and Giffey, there is also the experienced Nick Hamlet Babb and Elias Harris in the squad. Shortly before the start of the season, the Munich team presented an NBA veteran Serge Ibaka2019 champions with Toronto, a real star newcomer.
But probably the most important new man is on the sidelines: Coach Pablo Laso won more than 20 titles in ten years at Real Madrid, including twice Euroleague. With the successful Spanish coach, many believe the Munich team can go far in the highest European competition, possibly for the first time Final Four.
Compromise in the dispute with the Euroleague
The high pressure of the Euroleague has eaten up a lot of energy reserves at FC Bayern, as well as at the Berliners in the past, and in the BBL it probably cost them both a place in the finals in the previous season.
In the deadlocked dispute between the Euroleague and the European association FIBA, which was primarily about the scheduling of international matches during the season, the associations surprisingly announced a compromise at the beginning of July: the scheduling of Euroleague and international matches should no longer collide in the future. Only one international match window is planned for February; the Euroleague will be paused during this time. This means that the world champions from Berlin and Munich could also wear DBB uniforms again.