Bayern signs 3-point specialist Petteri Koponen

With 101 appearances in the EuroLeague, 45 percent career 3-point %, 193 caps for Finland, two European Cup titles and most recently the Spanish Cup win with FC Barcelona - Petteri Koponen is without question one of Europe's most renowned guards. He will strengthen the Bavarian basketball team for the coming years as the 30-year-old 3-point specialist signed a three-year contract with the German champion until 2021.

Petteri Koponen is still on home leave in Finland, in Helsinki he will give a press conference on his surprising commitment to the Bavarians early next week due to the great interest of his compatriots: At the end of June he ended his player option with Barcelond and has been a free agent since then. The number 30 pick of the 2007 NBA draft will come to Munich to undergo the obligatory entry examinations. FCBB training starts on 18 August.

"They will be a dangerous crew."

"The move to Munich is a great new challenge for me," Koponen said in advance. "Bayern Munich is a club that is strongly positioned for the future to become a great basketball team. I hope to be a part of it and help the club reach the next level. It's a great experience for me to pursue these new goals over the next three years and achieve something big. I've played against the German national team a lot, now I'm looking forward to the BBL. And of course there are a lot of strong teams in the EuroLeague. I believe that we too will be a very good, a dangerous team."

"Experienced player with a basketball personality" 

Bavaria's Sports Director Daniele Baiesi commented on the transfer coup: "Petteri Koponen has made a mature decision to get involved with our ideas and our future. He is an incredibly experienced, class player who will enrich us with his great basketball personality and a high level of skills. With him, we have a knockdown shooter that is both a playmaker and a good defender. "We are extremely happy that he has decided to accompany us all on our journey."

Petteri Koponen played for Barcelona from 2016 averaging 8.6 ppg and1.8 apg and in the EuroLeague 8.4 ppg, 1.9 apg. the Catalans missed the playoffs twice (and thus for the first time). But after changing to the former Bavarian championship coach, Svetislav Pesic, Koponen also won the Copa del Rey 2018 (Spanish Cup).

EuroCup title with Moscow

Prior to Barcelona, he spent four years with Khimki Moscow and celebrated the EuroCup title with the Russians in 2015, to which he contributed 13.5 points per game. He also worked for Virtus Bologna for four years from 2008 to 2012 (2011/2012: 14.3 ppg). At the beginning he won the smaller EuroChallenge (2009) with the Italian Serie A club. Koponen's professional career began at the age of 16 with the former Finnish champion Espoon Honka, with whom he won the national title in 2007 and 2008. The NBA rights were then held by Philadelphia and Portland, later by the Dallas Mavericks.   

Koponen will now enter his fifth EuroLeague season with the German double winner, and no other FCBB professional can match his more than one hundred games in the top division (42 in the EuroCup). In the first year at FC Barcelona his average was 10.1 points, although the agile Finn was injured in a traffic accident shortly before the start of the season and was absent for several weeks. In the Spanish ACB, he played a solid 20 minutes per game in 39 games last season with 8.8 ppg. 

Petteri Koponen is married and father of two boys (3 years/2 months).

PETTERI KOPONEN (*13 April 1988/Helsinki, FIN)

Guard - 6ft3 - 194 lbs
 

2004 - 2008: Honka Espoon Playboys/FIN
2008 - 2012: Virtus Bologna
2012 - 2016: BC Khimki Moscow
2016 - 2018: FC Barcelona
 

SUCCESSES/AWARDS:
 

Finnish Championship 2007, 2008
30th pick NBA draft 2007
MVP Korisliiga 2008 (Finland)
EuroChallenge 2009
Italian Cup Final 2008, 2009, 2010
MVP 12th EuroLeague Top 16 matchday 2013
EuroCup 2015
All-First Team EuroCup 2015
European Championship participants 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
World Cup Participants 2014
Spanish Cup Winner 2018

 

EuroCup-Titel mit Moskau

Davor lag ein vierjähriges Engagement bei Khimki Moskau; mit den Russen feierte er 2015 den EuroCup-Titel, zu dem er 13,5 Punkte pro Spiel beisteuerte. Für Virtus Bologna war er von 2008 bis 2012 ebenfalls vier Jahre im Einsatz gewesen (2011/2012: 14,3 PpS). Mit dem italienischen Serie-A-Klub holte er zu Beginn die kleinere EuroChallenge (2009). Die Profikarriere Koponens hatte bereits 16-jährig beim früheren finnischen Meister Espoon Honka begonnen, mit dem er 2007 und 2008 den Landestitel gewann. Die NBA-Rechte lagen damals bei Philadelphia und Portland, später bei den Dallas Mavericks; zum einem Einsatz kam es nicht.   

Beim deutschen Double-Sieger wird Koponen nun in seine fünfte EuroLeague-Saison gehen, an seine gut hundert Spiele in der Königsklasse (plus 42 im EuroCup) reicht kein anderer FCBB-Profi heran. Im ersten Jahr beim FC Barcelona lag sein Schnitt bei 10,1 Punkten, obwohl der agile Finne kurz vor Saisonstart bei einem Verkehrsunfall verletzte wurde und wochenlang fehlte. In der spanischen ACB kam er vergangene Saison in 39 Spielen auf gut 20 Minuten Einsatzzeit pro Partie und 8,8 Punkte (Dreier: 60 von 124). 

Petteri Koponen ist verheiratet und Vater zweier Jungen (3 Jahre/2 Monate).

PETTERI KOPONEN (*13. April 1988/Helsinki, FIN)

Guard – 1,94 m – 88 kg
 

• 2004 – 2008:              Honka Espoon Playboys/FIN
• 2008 – 2012:              Virtus Bologna
• 2012 – 2016:              BC Khimki Moskau
• 2016 – 2018:              FC Barcelona

 

ERFOLGE/AUSZEICHNUNGEN:
 

• Finnische Meisterschaft 2007, 2008
• 30. Pick NBA-Draft 2007
• MVP Korisliiga 2008 (Finnland)
• EuroChallenge 2009
• Italienisches Pokalfinale 2008, 2009, 2010
• MVP 12. EuroLeague-Top16-Spieltag 2013
• EuroCup 2015
• All-First-Team EuroCup 2015
• EM-Teilnehmer 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• WM-Teilnehmer 2014
• Spanischer Pokalsieger 2018