Bayern Basketball will tackle the remainder of the season under new sporting leadership: After one and a half years, head coach Gordon Herbert is leaving FCBB with immediate effect. The 66-year-old Canadian and the German champions mutually agreed to end their cooperation early after a constructive discussion on Saturday. Both parties emphasized that this regrettable decision was made “in the best interests of the team and the club.”
The Munich club is reacting to a negative run in the EuroLeague, having now suffered eight consecutive defeats, including a 77–103 loss in Monaco. For Sunday evening’s league game at the sold-out Lanxess Arena in Cologne against sixth-placed Bonn (6–5 record), the team will be led by the current assistant coaching staff. FCBB hopes to clarify the succession plan by Tuesday evening’s next EuroLeague home game at the SAP Garden against league leaders Hapoel Tel Aviv.
“The Situation Calls for Change”
Gordon Herbert took over in Munich following his successful stint with the German national team after the 2024 Olympics. He celebrated the 2025 championship title with Bayern and previously led the team to the EuroLeague Play-Ins. In the Bundesliga, Bayern currently sits near the top and is also set to compete in the Munich Top Four for the German Cup on February 21/22. However, the club has never before endured eight consecutive defeats in Europe’s premier competition.
“First of all, we want to thank Gordie for his work. Especially last season, he played a major role in the surge of enthusiasm for basketball in Munich,” said Sports Director Dragan Tarlac on Saturday after returning from Monaco. “But unfortunately, there are situations in sports that require change as the only way forward.”
He continued: “The personnel situation after the EuroBasket summer, injuries to key players, a very unfavorable schedule, and at times his own absence due to illness—none of these were Gordie’s fault. Nevertheless, it’s now clear to everyone that we’ve reached a sporting crossroads and are obliged to provide the team, which always gives its all, with new impetus. We deeply regret this and both of us had hoped for a different outcome. But we still have big goals ahead, and the EuroLeague season isn’t even halfway through. We trust our team and hope that fresh input from outside will break through the obvious barriers and ignite new fire.”