The Bavarian basketball players retain two more pillars of the championship team:Nihad Djedovic who owns the record for most games played ever for Bayern and BBL record holder Alex King will both be wearing the jersey of the double winner again next season. In the case of Djedovic, who leads the FCBB's internal leaderboards with 174 BBL games played and 2092 points (12 ppg) has been extended by the team option to extend the contract until 2019 since the guard forfeited his exit option and is already entering his sixth season at the Audi Dome. King, 33, who once started basketball in the Bavarian Youth and played more games than anyone else in the House of Lords, signed a new one-year contract.
"I love FC Bayern and Munich is my home," said Djedovic. "I am very happy to wear the red jersey for another year. I say thank you to everyone who believes in me, including the best fans who have always supported me. I'm sure we'll have many more successes together."
King, who is looking forward to his "Hand in Hand" basketball camp for kids at the Audi Dome (July 27-29), said: "I still can't put it into words when I won the double in Munich. And I didn't have to think long about the offer and the chance to stay another year. The FCBB has a promising future ahead of it and it is an honour for me to be a part of the Bavarian family. As in the last two years I will work hard and do everything to meet the demands of the club."
Team players Djedovic and King played a major role in winning the championship last season. With 11.5 points per game, Djedovic was the team's third best scorer while shooting 51% from the floor. In the playoffs, the 28-year-old shooting guard took on even more responsibility and often moved into the starting five. In the finals against Berlin he even increased his score to 13.2 points and in the triumphant fifth game to win the title he was the top scorer with 19 points. In the EuroCup, the German-Bosnian scored an average of 8.3 ppg for the semi-finalist.
Alex King (2.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg/EuroCup: 2.9 ppg) also impressively documented his value for the collective in the thrilling playoffs: In the semi-final against Bamberg (3-1), in which he played for an average of 21 minutes, he let his great experience play on defense.
The 42-time international scored valuable points in decisive moments - in the final series against Berlin (3-2) the Small Forward converted seven of eleven threes. King, who grew up (like Djedovic) in Munich and returned to Bavaria in 2016, is now the undisputed record player in the German Basketball League with 518 appearances.
"Nihad and Alex remain two important components of our core," said Bavaria's Sports Director Daniele Baiesi about the personal details. "Nihad is the best shooter in club history and he was outstanding in the playoffs. To continue with him was a matter of course for us and we are very happy that he also proves his affection and the close connection to the association once again".
And on to King: "Alex is also a great ambassador for our club. He was the best addition we could have had in the past playoffs. His contribution was the extra push for the team. He will continue to serve as a role model for our organization to grow."
The team will start on September 28th In the easyCredit BBL with an away game in Ulm, their home debut will be on German Unity Day (Wednesday, 3 October) against newcomer Vechta. The German Champion will enter the top class on Friday, October 12th at 20:30 CEST against Efes Istanbul.
THE SCHEDULE OF BAVARIAN BASKETBALLERS
Saturday, August 18th: Start of training
August 19th - 24th: Training camp in Riva del Garda/ITA
Friday, August 24th: Aquila Basket Trento - FCBB (in Riva)
Wednesday, September 5th, 19:30: Iserlohn Kangaroos - FCBB
8th-9th September: Participation in the tournament of medi Bayreuth
September 20th - 23rd: Participation in the "5th Zadar Basketball Tournament".
Friday, 28th September, 20:30 hrs: ratiopharm Ulm - FCBB (1st matchday BBL)
Wednesday October 3rd: FCBB - Rasta Vechta (Matchday 2)
Friday October 12th, 20:30: FCBB - Anadolu Efes Istanbul (1st matchday Euroleague)
Tuesday October 16th, 20:30: FCBB - Panathinaikos Athens (2nd EuroLeague matchday)
Thursday, October 18th, 21:00: FC Barcelona - FCBB (Matchday 3 EuroLeague)