The attitude was right, the result was not: The Gladiators Trier gave Bayern Munich a huge fight over long stretches and still lost 80:96.
There are still five minutes left to play in the Arena Trier. Bayern scores eight points in a row and is ahead with 89:69 points. The game is over. And the more than 5,000 Gladiators fans chant “frontrunner – frontrunner – hey, hey.” The Trier team celebrates their team for a good performance – even though they are hopelessly behind against Bayern Munich at this point and the table in the BBL Cup doesn’t matter at all.
Gladiators offer Bayern a huge fight
But the surprise table leaders of the Basketball Bundesliga, the Gladiators Trier, offered the seven-time German champions a great fight for long stretches in the quarter-finals. Only at halftime did the gap increase: 51:37 for Bayern.
Gladiator Jordan Roland vs 11 years and 612 games NBA games. Bayern star Spencer Dinwiddie moved to Bayern from Dallas a few weeks ago.
In the second half, Trier playmaker Eli Brooks led Trier to nine points. The fans sense an opportunity. But in the end it’s not enough to surprise. Trier loses the ball twice as often as Bayern. And the three-point throws don’t work as usual either. Only a quarter of the 27 attempts were seated.
Basketball with “celebrity density” in the Arena Trier
The “Game of the Year” attracted many familiar faces. And also prominent guests who are rarely seen in the Arena Trier.
Bundesliga striker from 1.FC Cologne: FC star Jan Thielmann with his girlfriend at the Gladiators. In his youth, the Föhren native played for Eintracht Trier.
In addition to Bundesliga stars such as Jan Thielmann from 1.FC Köln or Dominik Kohr from FSV Mainz 05, Trier Basketball Cup winners James Marsh and Jörn Patzak were also in the hall. From politics, the Rhineland-Palatinate SPD Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer (SPD) and Education Minister Sven Teuber (SPD).
Photo gallery
Despite the cup exit against Bayern: fans celebrate Gladiators Trier
Standing ovation for Trier’s basketball players
In the last minutes – the decision for Bayern has been made – the entire arena is standing. Standing ovation for the Gladiators Trier, who never gave up.
This means that the Gladiators Trier are eliminated from the cup. Bayern Mümchen will be in the “Top Four” final tournament on February 21st and 22nd, 2026.
Broadcast on Sunday, November 16th, 2025 at 7:45 p.m., SWR Aktuell Rhineland-Palatinate, SWR RLP
