Bayern Munich aims to become the men’s basketball capital of Europe

We got a real jam going down in Bavaria. No, football isn’t the only gig in town! There’s the Bayern Munich chess team (check out this wonderful fanpost from last July) and also men’s basketball. The FC Bayern hoops troops are currently third in the Basketball Bundesliga — and the only representative among the eighteen football clubs.

And yes, like every other Bayern endeavor, there are serious ambitions here.

“Here too we’ve been making good progress for years towards establishing ourselves among Europe’s elite,” club president Herbert Hainer said in his 2022 year-in-review interview for FCBayern.com. “For example, we’ve reached the playoffs of the EuroLeague twice in a row and want to maintain that this season, although we’ve had a lot of injuries and absences so far. Our stated aim for 2023 is bringing the German championship back to Munich as well as winning the cup. We certainly have the quality.”

The development isn’t only occurring on the pitch...er, court. A new indoor arena is under construction and will in the next few years become home to FC Bayern men’s basketball (as well as to EHC Red Bull Munich, an ice hockey team.) Hainer views this as one of the seminal steps towards advancement of the sporting project.

“That’s the future. Our managing director Marko Pešic has laid out the overarching aim of Munich becoming the basketball capital of Europe,” Hainer continued. “The SAP Garden should be one of the most modern sports arenas in the world and will give us completely new opportunities. It will be attractive to top players, for our fans and new partners. Munich can look forward to a new landmark.”