Bayern’s basketball team is once again strengthening their frontcourt: National team center Leon Kratzer will play for the German champions in the upcoming season, marking his return to the Bundesliga after two years in France. The 2.12-meter (6'11") tall Bayreuth native played the past two seasons for the successful French team Paris Basketball and will reunite with many familiar faces in Munich. The 28-year-old knows head coach Gordon Herbert as well as former teammates like his old Bamberg roommate Andreas Obst and Elias Harris from their time together, along with other FC Bayern national players Justus Hollatz, Oscar da Silva, Johannes Voigtmann, and Niels Giffey. Kratzer has so far earned 15 caps for the national team.
"A dream comes true for me"
"I'm very happy that things have finally worked out between Bayern and me, after there had been occasional contact in recent years," says Kratzer. "And I'd be lying if I said this step doesn't mean something special to me. Because a dream is coming true for me — to play for Bayern. I had two great years in Paris, but now I'm making the move that many German players want to make — to a club whose name speaks for itself. This brings me back to Germany, closer to my family in Bayreuth, back to the Bundesliga, and to a team with many guys I already know. I’ll definitely get my minutes primarily in the BBL and will initially take on the role of Elias (Harris), who is unfortunately injured. I want to show that I'm still one of the best centers in the league."
Leon Kratzer spent two seasons with the Paris squad, which won the EuroCup in 2024 (17 minutes per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 2.8 points per game) and the French League Cup. Last season, the team reached the EuroLeague playoffs (10 minutes per game, 2.6 rebounds per game) and celebrated its first French championship and national cup victory. With Telekom Baskets Bonn, he won the FIBA Champions League in 2023, and in 2017, as a BBL rookie, he won the German championship with Bamberg.
Bayern sporting director Dragan Tarlac says: "Leon is an experienced, mobile big man who will give us a strong presence on defense, especially in rebounding. He also contributes many little things on offense that don’t show up on the stat sheet, and as a familiar face to many, he’ll quickly integrate into the team. We’re very excited to add another German national team player to our roster."
Roommate of Andi Obst during their time in Bamberg’s youth program
In 2011, Kratzer moved from his hometown club BBC Bayreuth to the youth system of Bamberg and their former farm teams in Breitengüßbach and Baunach. From the ProB (third division), he advanced to the ProA (second division), where he was named Player of the Season in his third year in the second league in 2017. The following year, he played in the BBL for Würzburg, had a brief return to Bamberg in 2018, and then joined Frankfurt in the fall: with the Skyliners, he also made his international debut under Gordon Herbert in the EuroCup.
In summer 2020, Kratzer transferred within the BBL to Bonn, where three years later he helped the team win the Basketball Champions League (BCL), averaging 5.8 points and 6.5 rebounds over 17 games. So far, he has played 210 games in the BBL, averaging 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Kratzer came up through all the youth national teams and made his most recent appearance for the senior national team exactly a year ago during Olympic preparations. He could once again be part of the extended national squad that will begin preparing at the end of July for the Supercup in Munich’s SAP Garden (August 15/16) and EuroBasket 2025 (August 27 – September 14). Kratzer is also a father to a daughter.
LEON KRATZER (* 4. February 1997, Bayreuth)
Center – 2,12 m – 103 kg
- until 2011: BBC Bayreuth
- 2011 – 2016: TSV Tröster Breitengüßbach, BCM Baunach (JBBL, NBBL, ProB, ProA)
- 2015 – 2017: Brose Bamberg (BBL)
- 2017 – 2018: s.Oliver Würzburg (BBL)
- 2018: Brose Bamberg (BBL)
- 11/2018 – 2020: Skyliners Frankfurt (BBL)
- 2020 – 2023: Telekom Baskets Bonn (BBL)
- 2023 – 2025: Paris Basketball (FRA)
Awards:
- French Champion 2025, French Cup winner 2025
- EuroCup 2024, French Winners Cup 2024
- Fiba Champions League 2023
- German Champion 2017
- 4th U20’s Euro Basket 2020
- ProA Player of the Year 2016/2017
- ProA promotion 2014