The captain is leaving: Anton Gavel, captain of FC Bayern Basketball in the previous season, announced his retirement from Basketball on Wednesday morning. After twelve professional years and four seasons in Bayern, the soon-to-be 34-year-old German-Slovakian will end an impressive career for the Bayern basketball players: "Tono" Gavel can look back on a total of 458 BBL matches, with the Guard winning the German championship five times and the trophy four times. In the EuroLeague he played 70 games (9.4 ppg 2.9 apg), plus 80 in the EuroCup (5.8 ppg, 2.3 apg). He played twelve caps for Germany in the 2015 European Championship and 89 for Slovakia.
75 days after the triumphant title win of the Bavarians against final opponents Berlin and the receipt of the BBL trophy, Gavel explained his step during a press conference at the Audi Dome; his decision had matured in recent weeks:
"Of course, I've been thinking and talking to a lot of people, especially my family. This is the right time to stop playing after two titles - that's the best part. Last year as captain, the cups were something special. We could have won one or two more titles in the whole four years but all in all it was a very good time. I wanted to win the title again, so my job is now done."
Bavaria's Managing Director Marko Pesic, who was also present, said:
"We've been in contact all summer but I've already noticed that he was tending towards making that decision. Anton has always been a role model and I know he has to stay in basketball." Gavel expressed this intention in principle, "but first I will dedicate myself to my family and then I will see what the future brings.
Anton Gavel, born in Kosice, moved to Munich in 2014, two years later he renewed his contract for another two years. He moved to Germany at the age of 15 and gained his first experience in the second division at BG Karlsruhe. This was followed by two years in the Bundesliga for the Giessen 46ers andin 2005/2006 he was elected "Rookie of the Year". After his breakthrough in the BBL, he went to Spain (Murcia) for two years and to Greece for a short engagement before shaping a very successful period of championships with Bamberg from starting in 2009. He has twice been voted the league's best defender and was on the All First team as a finals MVP in 2013.
With 157 BBL stakes (and 903 points/5.7 ppg) after four years, he ranks third in all time scoring for the Bavarians. He had once aimed for a completely different sports career:
"I started figure skating when I was five," he once said, "my dream was to become an ice hockey player. This is the number one sport in my home country." But at the age of ten, his father led him to basketball: "He was a youth coach. I enjoyed it immediately and I was always better than the others when I was young." Above all, however, Gavel was a professional athlete: "I was never really the great talent, nor am I that athletic. I'm not the super-technician either, it looks rather cramped in me. I've worked hard for everything."
The hard work has been clear for some time now and it has paid off. FC Bayern Basketball, whose staff said goodbye to him with applause on Wednesday, thanks "Tono" for his passion, his exemplary commitment and wishes him all the best in his new phase of life.