Europe Cup
Basketball boss by title: “Great for the league”
The Niners Chemnitz players celebrate with the trophy they won after the game. photo
© Matthias Stickel/dpa
The Niners Chemnitz crown their strong European Cup season. For the managing director of the Bundesliga, it is another indication of the strength of German basketball.
Bundesliga managing director Stefan Holz sees the international title winning Niners Chemnitz as another German step into the European top.
“It’s great for the league that we have a European Cup winner for the second year in a row. It shows the increased importance. It fits in with the picture of previous years. That’s good, that fits,” Holz told the German Press Agency.
The Niners completed their triumph in the Fiba Europe Cup in a thrilling game despite losing after extra time (95:105) at Bahcesehir Istanbul after winning the first leg in their own stadium with 85:74. Last season, Telekom Baskets Bonn won the Champions League. Previously, Alba Berlin (1993), Syntainics MBC from Weißenfels (2004), BG Göttingen (2010) and Fraport Skyliners from Frankfurt (2016) had won European titles for Germany.
“It’s another sign of the development of the clubs and that of German basketball. It all fits quite well. You can’t become world champions every year, but we have arrived among the top basketball nations in Europe,” said Holz. Led by captain Dennis Schröder, the national team won the first World Cup title in German history last summer and also defeated top favorites USA in Manila.