The plane with FC Bayern Basketball on board arrived in Belgrade just after midnight, following their cup victory in Bonn (91:85). The German champions immediately traveled to the Serbian capital for their next game. Just 48 hours after Bonn, the third EuroLeague showdown will take place there (Tuesday, 8:45 p.m./MagentaSport) in front of 20,000 spectators in the Belgrade Arena – marking a reunion with Isaac Bonga, who, after two successful years in Munich, now plays for Partizan Belgrade.
For Partizan, it will be their first home game after two close away losses in Vitoria against Baskonia (82:88) and last week in Madrid (86:93). Bayern, who will host Paris Basketball at the SAP Garden in the second part of the double-week (Thursday, 8:45 p.m.), currently have one win and one loss.
Thursday against Paris at the SAP Garden
“They have an entirely new team, but still one of the best all-time coaches in the world; a legend whom I’ve studied and tried to learn from. The atmosphere will be fantastic, something I’ve only seen on TV until now. This is my first game there as a coach, and I’m personally excited about it. For our team, it's a great opportunity to prove ourselves again after the big win in Bonn,” said FCBB coach Gordon Herbert ahead of the game.
After Partizan’s team, led by coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic (nine EuroLeague titles), failed to reach the playoffs last season, the pressure is once again high in the Serbian basketball capital – especially since archrival Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) started the season 2-0. The team has undergone a near-complete overhaul. New high-profile players have joined, such as Efes' top scorer Tyrique Jones (16.5 PPG), center Brandon Davies (14.0 PPG), Italy’s Iffe Lundberg (8.0 PPG), former NBA guard Carlik Jones (9.5 PPG / 4.5 APG), who led South Sudan’s team to the Olympics – and, of course, German world champion Isaac Bonga.
“I live just four minutes from the arena, I can’t complain,” reported the 24-year-old national player the day before the duel with his old friends. He still keeps in touch with many from Munich, “Carsen, Nick, and a few others.” On Tuesday, he will also face Coach Gordon Herbert, who had committed to Bayern after initially signing with Partizan.
"It was a good summer for the club," said FCBB CEO Marko Pesic about the coaching situation. “But Izzy, that really hurt.” Bonga sees this as a sign of appreciation and remains diplomatic regarding the hypothetical scenario involving Herbert. He said, “I didn’t know about Gordie beforehand, and of course, a club always wants to keep its players. It wasn’t an easy decision for me, but I’m really happy here.”
“Basketball is the thing here”
Coach Obradovic clearly values the German all-rounder (7 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.5 APG): Bonga played 34 minutes in Madrid. He also feels comfortable with Obradovic’s style: “I’ve had Trinchieri before, so no problem,” he assured with a laugh.
And how does Belgrade, the basketball mecca, feel? “It’s different,” Izzy said, “the status of basketball is just really high here.” They recognize the new player, even though he no longer dyes his hair (“I think I’m done with that now”). And the fans’ emotions, which Bayern will also experience on Tuesday, are special: “The enthusiasm feels like they’re all football fans – but they come for basketball. That’s the big thing here.”