What a start to the season: The new EuroLeague season begins with the first of a total of eleven double weeks, with the main round ending in mid-April. The Bayern basketball team will kick off on Tuesday evening (8:15 p.m.) with an away game against Panathinaikos Athens, who have once again strengthened their squad considerably. 18,500 fans are expected for the premiere in the 2004 Olympic Hall, modeled on BMW Park and equipped with an LED video glass floor, which now operates under the name “Telekom Center.”
The day after returning from Greece, Bayern will face last season's play-in opponent again at Munich's SAP Garden, with the home game against Red Star Belgrade starting on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Game 3 of the week: the BBL home game on Sunday (6 p.m.) at BMW Park against Hamburg.
“Recognizably extremely talented”
According to Gordon Herbert, the “process” that Munich has just begun, given the special circumstances surrounding their preparations, will therefore be abruptly subjected to a harsh reality check. After resting the European champions and the new arrivals who just joined the team for the BBL opener against Jena (93:77), the Canadian is likely to take some of them with him on the first away trip, while possibly saving others for Roter Stern.
“It's an interesting situation and also a good challenge to come together as a team,” says head coach Herbert without annoyance. “Yes, we are only at the beginning of a process, but the guys have trained very well. To a certain extent, I will again be careful not to overload them. And our offensive package will certainly develop slowly at first.” Regarding the opponent, the 66-year-old says: "Panathinaikos is clearly an extremely talented team. In the polls, they are number one in terms of predictions for winning the EuroLeague. And on paper, that's certainly how it looks, their guards are exceptionally good. This will be a good indicator of where we stand right now. Either way, I like my team, with them we can play team basketball on both sides of the court."
TJ Shorts alongside Nunn and Sloukas
Panathinaikos, led by its ambitious coach Ergin Ataman, has once again made significant efforts over the summer to secure the European crown for the eighth time after 2024. The transfer par excellence was agreed early on: TJ Shorts, the Paris MVP candidate, was lured away from France and now forms an impressive backcourt with the veritable MVP Kendrick Nunn, Finals MVP Kostas Sloukas (2024), and Jerian Grant.
To this end, national player Vassilis Toliopoulos (from Aris), who stood out as a three-point shooter at the European Championships, his compatriot Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos from EuroLeague rivals Baskonia, and American center Richaun Holmes, who has proven himself in 489 NBA games, were signed. Also: Turkey's Cedi Osman, who won EuroBasket silver with Ataman, Marius Grigonis, Juancho Hernangomez, and Mathias Lessort – you can't get any better than that. However, Panathinaikos didn't have everyone on board during the preseason either, as Osman is injured.
Improvement every day
So let's dive into this surprise package with the headline “Double Week No. 1.” That's also the opinion of the captain, who is actually entering his tenth year with Bayern. “This start is definitely unique,” says Vlado Lucic, "I've been a pro for 18 years now, but I've never seen 80 percent of the team missing in preseason because of national teams or injuries. We've had a week and a half of training together and on Tuesday we start on one of the toughest EuroLeague courts, against perhaps the most talented team ever. Our initial goal is to adapt to the tough schedule with eleven double weeks and little training. We have to get through the games, and there will certainly be bumps in the road, especially away from home, on this wild ride. But we just have to stick together and trust the process of getting better every day."