BMA365 Bamberg Baskets captured their seventh German Cup title by taking down record champs ALBA BERLIN in the Final after having surprised hosts FC Bayern Munich Basketball in the Semi-Finals. Demarcus Demonia was named the Most Valuable Player of the BMW TOP FOUR for his game-winner in the title bout. The league also had one final round of games before the FIBA break and Corey Davis converted a four-point play in the waning seconds of a second overtime to give NINERS Chemnitz a thrilling win.
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:
Seventh heaven: Bamberg surprise Bayern and Berlin for 7th German Cup title
The 2025-26 German Cup champions are BMA365 Bamberg Baskets, who took down ALBA BERLIN in the Final in Munich after beating hosts FC Bayern Basketball in the Semi-Finals. This is Bamberg’s seventh cup crown following 1992, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2019. Bamberg reached the cup final last season but lost to SYNTAINICS MBC.
Demonia provides game-winner - named MVP as Bamberg beat Berlin for title
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets won the German Cup title for the seventh time as they knocked off record-champions ALBA BERLIN 74-72 in the Final with Demarcus Demonia taking home Most Valuable Player honors. Berlin missed a chance for their 12th German cup triumph. The game was tight throughout with Berlin leading by nine points in the first half. Jonas Mattisseck’s three-pointer put Berlin up 72-69 with 2+ minutes to play. But they would not score the rest of the game. Ibi Watson tied it with 81 seconds left and then Demonia converted a layup with 7 seconds to win the game. Demonia finished with 19 points, EJ Onu had 12 points and Watson chipped in 10 points. Malte Delow had 17 points for Berlin.
Bamberg take down Bayern in overtime thriller to reach Final
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets pulled off a surprise to start the German Cup weekend , the BMW TOP FOUR by taking down hosts FC Bayern Basketball 103-97 in overtime. The six-time winners prevailed in a game that had 10 lead changes and 19 times and seven points was the biggest advantage for either side. Neno Dimitrijevic drained a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to force overtime. Cobe Williams knocked down back-to-back triples followed by a three-pointer from Ibi Watson to give Bamberg momentum. And then Bamberg made all four free throws in the final 18 seconds for the win. Watson finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and Williams added 22 points and 10 assists in the win. Dimitrijevic scored 24 points and Isiaha Mike contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.
Berlin waste little time, roll past Oldenburg into cup final
ALBA BERLIN rolled into the Final of the German Cup with a comfortable 98-78 victory over EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the second Semi-Final. Berlin jumped ahead by 11 points after 10 minutes and built up an 18-point lead in the third quarter in getting the win. Malte Delow poured in 21 points and Norris Agbakoko picked up 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Chris Clemons did all he could with 29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists for Oldenburg but it was not enough.
Davis’ 4-point play gives Chemnitz win in 2OT thriller
NINERS Chemnitz gave their fans an absolute highlight to enter the FIBA break by winning a double-overtime thriller 99-96 over MLP Academics Heidelberg as Corey Davis won it on a four-point play in the waning seconds. The biggest lead for either side was seven points and there were 23 lead changes and 17 ties. Eric Reed had a tip-in for Heidelberg with 15 seconds left to force overtime and then Kostja Mushidi converted a layup for Chemnitz with 33 seconds remaining to send the game to a second extra session. Marcel Keßen hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds to go to make it 96-95 for Heidelberg to set up Davis’ heroics with 1.1 seconds remaining. Chemnitz have put together three consecutive wins for a 10-11 record and Heidelberg lost their third in a row to drop to 5-16. Nike Sibande scored 18 points, Davis finished with 17 points and Yordan Minchev chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. Keßen poured in a career-high 26 points with 9 rebounds in the loss.
Hamburg surprise Berlin again in ALBA’s cup warmup
Veolia Towers Hamburg defeated ALBA BERLIN for the second time this season with a 93-87 win on the road as Berlin were playing their final warmup before the German Cup. Hamburg dominated the game and built a 26-point lead in the third quarter. Berlin tried to get back into the game but could only make it a six-point game. Hamburg improved to 7-11 and Berlin dropped to 15-6. Martin Breunig scored 26 points and Kenneth Ogbe added 20 points in the win. Sam Griesel picked up 22 points in the loss.
Bayern score final 11 points to win German Cup warmup
FC Bayern Basketball needed to rally from a big margin but finished the game strong in beating SKYLINERS 85-76 in their final warmup for the German BMW TOP FOUR. Frankfurt put together a 14-point lead in the second quarter but were only up two at the break. And Bayern finished them off with the final 11 points for the win. Bayern have won three straight and lead the league in the break with a 19-2 record. Frankfurt have dropped three in a row for a 9-12 mark. David McCormack scored 21 points and Xavier Rathan-Mayes added 16 points in the win. Jaedon LeDee had 21 points and 9 rebounds in the defeat.
Ulm cruise past Oldenburg despite Clemons’ 37 points
ratiopharm ulm bounced back from their loss last week and enter the FIBA break on a high after beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg 101-72 at home in a Round 19 makeup game, giving the guests something to think about heading into the German Cup. Ulm took the first quarter 31-8 and never looked back. The host have won three of four games for a 12-9 record and Oldenburg lost after having won eight of nine games for a 9-11 mark. Mark Smith (19 points) and Malik Osbourne (15) came off the Ulm bench to combine for 34 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals and lead six players in double figures. Chris Clemons knocked down 8 three-pointers in scoring 37 points in the loss.
Würzburg spoil home debut of new Braunschweig coach Diaz
Fitness First Würzburg Baskets spoilt the home debut of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig’s new head coach Ramon Diaz with an 87-82 road victory. Braunschweig opened an 11-point lead in the first quarter and led most of the game. But Würzburg reeled off an 11-0 run in the final 2 minutes to secure the win. Würzburg have now won back-to-back games for a 13-8 mark while Braunschweig fell to 5-16 in last place. Brae Ivey came off the Würzburg bench for 24 poitns and Marcus Carr added 18 points. Simi Shittu had a monster double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds while Luka Scuka picked up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Bamberg rally for win in Rostock in German Cup dress rehearsal
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets won their dress rehearsal for the German Cup by rallying from 12 points down to beat ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 88-86 in overtime on the road. Bamberg executed better down the stretch and in the extra session to improve to 12-9 with four wins in the last five games. Bamberg also moved their road record to 7-4 thanks to all five starters scoring in double figures, topped by Ibi Watson’s 19 points while Cobe Williams had 15 points and 8 assists. Rostock had won six of their last seven games but fell to 11-9 though they do hold the tiebreaker after a 13-point win in Bamberg. TJ Crockett led all scorers with 25 points.
Bonn score season-high 101 points for fourth straight win
Telekom Baskets Bonn put on an offensive fireworks display to knock off RASTA Vechta at home 101-83 for a season high in points. Bonn led the entire game but only put it away for good with a 12-5 run to start the fourth quarter for a 15-point lead. Bonn own the longest winning streak in the league at four games for a 14-8 record while Vechta have lost seven of their last eight games to sink to 7-14. Jeff Garrett scored 22 points, ZacheryCook had 18 and Grayson Murphy collected 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. TJ Bamba led all scorers with 23 points.
Ludwigsburg down Wolves in Bogicevic coaching debut, losing skid reaches 11 games
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg used a big fourth quarter run to grab an 86-82 home victory over SYNTAINICS MBC to send the guests to their 11th straight loss and first under new head coach Milenko Bogicevic. The visitors trimmed a 14-point first half deficit to 2 points in the fourth quarter but Ludwigsburg reeled off 10 straight points to end Wolves’s hopes. Ludwigsburg had lost two straight but moved to 11-9 while Wolves fell to 7-14. Stef Smith collected 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and Elijah Hughes chipped in 15 points off the bench. Spencer Reaves and Charles Callison each had 17 points in the loss.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for Round 21 goes to Simi Shittu of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig for his outstanding performance in the team’s loss to Fitness First Würzburg Baskets. The center scored 27 points on 11 of 14 shots and 5 of 8 free throws to go with 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Malte Delow, ALBA BERLIN
Delow had a great German BMW TOP FOUR but could not help Berlin get the title. In the Final against BMA365 Bamberg Baskets, he picked up 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists after collecting 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the Semi-Finals against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. In the Round 21 game against Veolia Towers Hamburg, Delow tallied 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.
F: Patrick Heckmann, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Heckmann continued his strong season with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against RASTA Vechta.
F: Moritz Krimmer, BMA365 Bamberg Baskets
Krimmer helped Bamberg win the German Cup crown with two solid games in the BMW TOP FOUR. He collected 15 points and 8 rebounds in the Semi-Finals against FC Bayern Basketball and then had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Final against ALBA BERLIN. In the Round 21 league game, the forward picked up 9 points and 4 rebounds.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
It was hard not to pick Marcel Keßen with his career high of 26 points for MLP Academics Heidelberg but they came in a loss to Chemnitz and Yebo picked up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists to get the spot.
C: Martin Breunig, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Breunig played a major role in Hamburg’s win over ALBA BERLIN with Berlin 26 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal.
Young Guns
Julis Baumer, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Baumer picked up 3 points on 1 of 1 shooting threes and 1 assist in 8:34 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC.
Christian Skladanowski, 21, SF, Fitness First Würzburg Baskets
Skladanowski scored 6 points on 3 of 3 shooting in 12:44 minutes against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
Anton Nufer, 19, SG, ALBA BERLIN
Nufer scored 2 points on 1 of 4 shots (0/2 threes) to go with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Germans Abroad
Isaiah Hartenstein got bragging rights over his fellow German Dennis Schröder as Oklahoma City beat Cleveland and Schröder 121-113. Hartenstein had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Schröder picked up 11 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
