By Oliver Knaack
Welcome to the league of world champions! The new easyCredit BBL season begins this Wednesday (September 27th). First game: Masters Ulm against the Niners from Chemnitz (8 p.m., live on Dyn).
Where is the league running? With the new TV partner Dyn. In addition, a game is shown every Sunday for free on BILD.TV. The ARD Sportschau also shows twelve selected games per year in the stream.
What is the mode? Main round with return leg. The top 6 are automatically qualified for the playoffs. Then it gets new – and a little more complicated: The teams in seventh to tenth place play the last two participants in three playoff games, following the NBA model. In these play-ins, the seventh seed plays against the eighth seed. The winner is in the playoffs. The loser plays against the winner of the ninth versus tenth duel. With the chance of the playoffs, the bottom half of the table should be revitalized. “This is very dramatic and increases the tension even more,” says league managing director Dr. Stefan Holz (56).
Alba not only lost to Ulm in the quarter-finals, but also to numerous players such as Ben Lammers and Maodo Lo (M.)
What’s new? Back on the show are the newcomers Rasta Vechta and Tigers Tübingen. What is also new is that the spectators hear what the referees advise during video evidence (“instant replay”). “We want to increase transparency,” says Stefan Holz.
Challenge: Previously, coaches were allowed to have a decision reviewed once per game. New: If this challenge is successful, you now have the right to ONE more.
For the Alba makers, sports director Himar Ojeda (l.) and managing director Marco Baldi, Bayern are the clear favorites for the title Photo: picture alliance
Monday games: This matchday was abolished in football after years of protest, and it has now been added to basketball. That probably won’t go down well with away fans.
Who are the favorites? Clearly, Bayern. “They optimized everything to win the title,” says Alba’s sports director Himar Ojeda (50) acknowledge without envy. The successful Spanish coach Pablo Laso (55), who worked at Real Madrid for more than ten years and won 21 titles, follows Andrea Trinchieri (55). Behind Bayern there are a few teams fighting for second place. Masters Ulm, Alba Berlin and Oldenburg are certainly among them. Vice Bonn is not to be expected after the complete sell-out including trainer.
Who are the stars? In total there were 116 new signings in the league. But there is only one superstar – Serge Ibaka (34)! The Congolese native with a Spanish passport played more than 1,000 games in the NBA. He already knows his new coach Pablo Laso from their time together at Real Madrid. They worked together there in 2011.
Alba without five top players
With Maodo Lo and Jaleen Smith, two spectacular players have left the league. The three new Bayern stars Carsen Edwards (25), the Argentine national player Leandro Bolmaro (23) and the returnee Devin Booker (32) promise excitement. With Sterling Brown (28), Alba has brought in an NBA-experienced winger who has already shone as a top scorer in preparation.
Andreas Obst (on the ground) is one of four world champions in the league Photo: AFP
Which world champions are there? Although Germany sensationally won the title, there are only four champions in the league: Andreas Obst (27), Isaac Bonga (23), Niels Giffey (32/ all Bayern) and Johannes Thiemann (29/ Alba).
Who is the spectator croesus? Alba Berlin. Last season around 8,800 spectators came to the games, followed by Oldenburg (5,900) and Bonn (5,800).
Who has the biggest budget? With the high-profile new signings, Bayern should be worth around 25 million euros. Alba hovers around 15 million euros.
Braunschweig, Rasta Vechta and the MBC are probably fighting over the smallest player budget. For all three clubs this should be around three million euros each.
Speaking of coal: The BBL and title sponsor easyCredit have extended their contract early until 2028. The bank from Nuremberg has been on the ball since 2016.