Bayern Munich’s Niels Giffey against Alba’s Tim Schneider Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From BZ/dpa
National basketball player Niels Giffey needed time to think about his decision before moving to Bayern Munich.
“I thought for a moment. I saw the emotional side, the competitive side,” said the former captain of Munich’s arch-rival Alba Berlin before the home game in the Euroleague against Olympiakos Piraeus on Thursday (8:30 p.m.).
The small forward joined FC Bayern from Spain’s CB Murcia last week and signed for three years. As a Berliner, he thought about making such a change. “It made more and more sense as the days went by,” said Giffey, 31.
Now he wants to end the ex-club series with his new club. The last three championships have all gone to Alba. “We want to start a strong attack on the best possible position in the Bundesliga and then go into the playoffs with a strong and healthy squad.”
Incidentally, his new coach, Andrea Trinchieri, tried to get Giffey to come to him eight years ago after his successful time at college for the University of Connecticut with two championships (2011 and 2014) – at that time still as a coach of Brose Bamberg. “I really like the way he plays. He’s always in control, he’s clever and a great team player,” said Trinchieri. The wait for Giffey was worth it.