The location of the 2026 German Cup TOP FOUR has been announced and Munich’s SAP Garden will host the event as well as the final fours in 2027 and 2028. The biggest news on the court was Veolia Towers Hamburg finally winning a game after 24 consecutive losses dating back to last season. Khyri Thomas also just missed a triple-double for SYNTAINICS MBC and former star talent Jason George is back with a Bundesliga team.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (Taking The Charge) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
German Cup TOP FOUR will take place in Munich from 2026 to 2028
The easyCredit BBL and FC Bayern Basketball have agreed to host the German Cup TOP FOUR for the next three years from 2026 to 2028 in Munich. The games will be played at the SAP Garden and the 2026 edition will have Bayern facing BMA365 Bamberg Baskets and ALBA BERLIN taking on EWE Baskets Oldenburg from February 21 to 22. Tickets will go on sale on Friday December 19.
Hamburg snap 24-game losing skid dating back to last year, end Berlin’s 11-game win streak
Veolia Towers Hamburg finally tasted victory again as two long streaks ended with their 99-80 home victory over ALBA BERLIN. Hamburg had lost all eight games in the Bundesliga this season and all 19 in total in 2025-26. Add the final five losses from last season and the losing streak reached 24 games. Berlin for their part had won five straight games in the league and 11 consecutive in all competitions. Hamburg got first separation in building a 14-point lead in the second quarter and Berlin never challenged in the second half. Hamburg are now 1-8 - and not even in last place any more - while Berlin fell to 6-3. LJ Thorpe was a force with 28 points and Zacharie Perrin added 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists for Hamburg. Jack Kayil led four bench players in double figures with 13 points and 5 assists as the Berlin reserves out-scored the starters 52-28.
Khyri Thomas just misses triple-double as Wolves down Braunschweig at home
SYNTAINICS MBC got a near-triple-double performance from Khyri Thomas in registering a 99-93 home victory over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The hosts built a 10-point lead multiple times in the first half but Braunschweig temporary took the lead in the third quarter. Wolves responded with a 10-0 run to put the game away for good and improve to 7-3 while Braunschweig have lost back-to-back games for a 3-7 mark. Marcus Foster scored 23 points, Spencer Reaves had 21 points and Thomas collected 16 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. David NGuessan was Braunschweig’s top scorer with 20 points.
Würzburg defense stands strong on road, keeps Chemnitz reeling
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets came up with a strong defensive performance in beating NINERS Chemnitz 86-67 on the road to keep the hosts reeling. Chemnitz were down 27-13 after 10 minutes and after trying to make it close in the second quarter lost the third frame 23-10 as Würzburg prevailed. Sasa Filipowski’s team have won two straight games for a 7-3 record while Chemnitz are 4-6 after four straight losses. The 67 points were the fewest allowed for Würzburg in a win since their 72-61 victory at Telekom Baskets Bonn in Round 1. Davion Mintz picked up 14 points and 5 assists and Marcus Carr added 12 points and 6 assists in the win. Kevin Yebo and Corey Davis both scored 20 points and Amadou Sow collected 16 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
Würzburg add former star talent Jason George
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets have added one of the most interesting former star talents in German basketball by signing Jason George until 2028. George arrives at Würzburg from ProB third division side BG Hessing Leitershofen/Stadtbergen, where he averaged 15.4 points per game including 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists against Würzburg ProB side earlier this season. The 24-year-old George returned to basketball this season after being suspended for two years following a positive doping test in April 2023. Würzburg had been interested in signing George before he was suspended. George, who has a deal to play with both Würzburg’s Bundesliga and ProB team, already has played 124 games in the easyCredit BBL, EuroLeague and FIBA Europe Cup for FC Bayern Basketball and NINERS Chemnitz. He also made his debut with the German senior national team in February 2023.
Trier celebrate extension of Coach Schneider with home OT win over Bonn
VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier won their second straight game coming out of the FIBA break by knocking off Telekom Baskets Bonn 102-98 at home in overtime. Neither team could pull away and Bonn were leading 89-86 with 38 seconds left when Jordan Roland hit a three-pointer to force overtime. Trier opened the extra frame with an 8-1 surge and made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 45 seconds to grab the win. Trier, who announced before the game that head coach Jacques Schneider extended his contract until 2028, improved to 8-2 while Bonn fell to 6-5 after having won three of their last four games. Roland was one of five Trier players in double figures with 19 points to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assist and Clay Guillozet and Nolan Adekunle both had 18 points. Grayson Murphy had 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss.
Trier extend promotion coach Schneider until 2028
VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier did not wait long to reward their head coach for the club’s early success in the easyCredit BBL as the promoted side gave Jacques Schneider a contract extension until 2028. Schneider arrived at Trier in 2023 and helped the club get back to the Bundesliga last season.
Trier lose Eli Brooks to Spain
VET-CONCETP Gladiators Trier also had some bad news this week as leading point guard Eli Brooks decided to use his option and leave the club to sign with the Spanish side BAXI Manresa. The 27-year-old moved from EWE Baskets Oldenburg to Trier in the off-season and was a major part of Trier becoming one of the biggest surprises of the early season.
Crockett saves Rostock in overtime win against Ludwigsburg
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES continued their strong trend up the standings by surviving a thrilling matchup with MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, rallying to win 96-89 in overtime at home. Ludwigsburg looked to take control of the game with a 15-point advantage in the second quarter. Rostock just kept chipping away at the lead and pulled ahead in the final stages of regulation. Stefan Smith’s three-pointer gave Ludwigsburg the lead 79-77 with 17 seconds left but Owen Klassen dunked home TJ Crockett’s miss with 2 seconds to go to send the game to overtime. Crockett hit a big three-pointer with 40 seconds and made 8 of 8 free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure the win. Rostock have won two straight and four of five games for a 5-4 record while Ludwigsburg at 5-4 after two consecutive losses. Crockett finished with 28 points off the bench - including 19 of 19 free throws - and DeAndre Lansdowne added 13 points. Smith led Ludwigsburg with 21 points.
Bayern spoil Spasic debut as Oldenburg coach for fifth straight win
FC Bayern Basketball secured their fifth straight victory by beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg 87-79 on the road to spoil the coaching debut of hosts’ Lazar Spasic. Bayern took an 11-point lead in the second quarter but Oldenburg fought back into the game and actually led midway through the third quarter. But Bayern led again by double figures shortly thereafter and were never threatened the rest of the way. Bayern jumped to 8-1 as league leaders while Oldenburg’s fifth-straight loss has them at 1-9 in last place. Andi Obst scored 15 points and Justinian Jessup and Oscar da Silva both had 13 points. Chris Clemons was Oldenburg’s top scorer with 17 points.
Ulm fight off Vechta, win consecutive games for first time since early October
ratiopharm ulm won back-to-back games in the Bundesliga for the first time since early October as they fought off RASTA Vechta 77-75 in a thriller at home. Ulm wasted a 14-point lead and the game was tight at the end with Nelson Weidemann hitting a big three-pointer and Mark Smith’s two clutch free throws with 35 seconds left. Ulm followed their win over Science City Jena with another victory for a 5-5 record. Ty Harrelson’s team had lost 11 of the last 13 games in all competitions. Weidemann led the way with 15 points while Smith and Justin Simon both scored 14 points. Vechta fell to 4-5 after having won their last two league games. Tevin Brown scored 15 points in the loss.
Bamberg get back on track, beat Heidelberg again
BMA 365 Bamberg Baskets picked up their first victory after the FIBA break and regained their form with a convincing 80-69 home win over MLP Academics Heidelberg. Bamberg took control of the game with a 23-8 run in the second quarter to improve to 5-4, including a 2-2 mark at home. Cobe Williams led the way for Bamberg with 18 points and Richard Balint chipped in 14 points. Bamberg have won six of their last eight games, among them a triumph over Heidelberg in the Quarter-Finals of the German Cup on Novemberg 15. Heidelberg are still winless on the road at 0-5 and 2-8 overall. The guests could not use Mateo Seric’s 12 points in the loss.
Fourth quarter run gives Bonn home win over Frankfurt in Round 11 matchup
Telekom Baskets Bonn used a late run to finish off SKYLINERS 88-76 at home in a Round 11 game. The game was tight until Bonn went on a 10-0 run to build a 13-point lead with under 3 minutes to play. That gave Bonn a second straight win and third in four games for a 6-4 record while Frankfurt lost back-to-back games for a 5-5 record. Tylan Birts scored 15 points to pace five Bonn players in double figures and Alijah Comithier had 14 points and 6 rebounds. William Christmas paced Frankfurt with 18 points.
Frankfurt waste early lead, pull away from Jena
SKYLINERS snapped a two-game losing streak by knocking off Science City Jena 79-70 at home. Frankfurt jumped to a 13-1 lead after 4 minutes but that lead was gone late in the first half as Jena tied it. Frankfurt regained control with a 9-0 run in the later stages of the game for a 6-5 record while Jena fell to 4-5. Isaiah Swipe led the way for Frankfurt with 17 points off the bench and Till Pape had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. Joe Wieskamp and Eric Washington both had 18 points in the loss.
Player of the Week
The honors for Round 10 go to Khyri Thomas of SYNTAINICS MBC, who just missed a triple-double in the team’s win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The guard scored 16 points on 6 of 11 shots, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. Thomas also had 2 steals in registering an efficiency of 28.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Zach Ensminger, BMA365 Bamberg Baskets
Ensminger played a major role in Bamberg’s win over MLP Academics Heidelberg with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
G: Jack Kayil, ALBA BERLIN
Kayil deserves a spot in the Top Five even with a Berlin loss to Veolia Towers Hamburg as he collected 13 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists off the bench.
G: Nelson Weidemann, ratiopharm ulm
Weidemann tallied 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals off the bench in Ulm’s win over RASTA Vechta.
F: Nolan Adekunle, VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
Adekunle continued his strong season for Trier with 18 points with 4 three-pointers, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in the win over Telekom Baskets Bonn.
C: Bent Leucten, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES
Leuchten had a strong game against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, setting career highs in points and boards.
Young Guns
Alec Anigbata, 21, SF, ratiopharm ulm
Anigbata started against RASTA Vechta and played 19:10 minutes and contributed 12 points on 5 of 7 shots (0/1 threes) and 2 of 4 free throws, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
Daniel Biel, 18, PF, Science City Jena
Biel contributed 2 points on 1 of 3 shots (0/2 threes), 7 rebounds and 1 assist in 13:14 minutes against SKYLINERS.
Nikola Tomic, 20, SG, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tomic appeared in his third Bundesliga game and the 20-year-old made 1 of 2 three-pointers for 3 points in 3:03 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC.
Germans Abroad
The mass exodus of young Germans to NCAA basketball this off-season included Jacob Patrick going to the University of Utah and the 22-year-old is starting to find his form. The long-time MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg prospect has made 3 three-pointers in his last two games with the Utes and scored 13 and 11 points in those contests, chipping in a combined 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. For the season, Patrick is averaging 7.0 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from long range.
