Alba Berlin

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Basketball club Alba Berlin is a professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Uber Arena and competes in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the Champions League.

After winning eleven German Championships, eleven German Cups, three German Supercups, and the FIBA Korać Cup in 1995, Alba Berlin is considered to be the most successful German basketball team, both domestically and internationally. With an average attendance of more than 10,000 fans per game in a season, it is also one of the most popular basketball clubs in Europe. In 2013, Alba was portrayed in the ESPN documentary series Basketball Capitals. In 2014, the club was the first German basketball team to beat a reigning NBA champion, the San Antonio Spurs.

History

1991–2000: Foundation and first championships

Alba Berlin traces its history back to the BG Charlottenburg, a basketball club in western Berlin which was founded in 1989. In 1991, when the global recycling company ALBA Europe agreed to a significant basketball sponsorship, BG Charlottenburg changed its name to Alba Berlin.

Shortly thereafter, under the direction of head coach Faruk Kulenović, Alba Berlin became runner-up at the German Championship. In 1993, the Serbian Svetislav Pešić took over as coach, and the club gained successes that no other German basketball team had previously accomplished. Winning the FIBA Korać Cup in 1995 marked the first international title of a German club team in basketball.

In 1996, shortly after moving the club from the Sömmeringhalle to the Max-Schmeling-Halle, Alba Berlin finally beat series champion Bayer Leverkusen and won its long-awaited first German Championship. In addition to winning the Korać Cup and other successes at the European level, in his seven-year career as head coach, Pešić won four German championships and one German Cup.

2000–2008: Professionalization and national success

File:Außenansicht vom Falkplatz aus.jpg

The Max-Schmeling-Halle was the team's home arena from 1996 until 2008

Under head coach Emir Mutapčić, the team recorded three German championships and two German Cup victories, but particularly at the European level no significant progress could be made. As a reaction to the time without titles, the team was largely rebuilt for each new season. In 2004 and 2005, Berlin eventually was kicked out of the national playoffs semi-final series. Organizationally, the club created the new position of team manager, which was occupied by Henning Harnisch. Further, the professional section of the club was transformed into a GmbH on 1 September 2005.

In the season 2005–06, under new coach Henrik Rödl, Alba Berlin won another German Cup. As winner of the regular season, the team advanced to the finals series of the championship, in which they lost to RheinEnergie Köln. Köln was coached by Saša Obradović, who had helped Berlin win the FIBA Korać Cup in 1995. The following season, 2006–07, however, Berlin was once again winner of the regular season but was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Artland Dragons. This event triggered the dismissal of Rödl and the signing of a new head coach Luka Pavićević, followed by another major remodeling of the team. After injury problems in the preparation and the course of the 2007–08 season, including the loss of Goran Jeretin for the entire season and Aleksandar Rašić for the play-offs, Berlin took advantage of the insolvency of the Cologne 99ers and signed their major players Immanuel McElroy and Aleksandar Nađfeji in January 2008. Led by the league MVP Julius Jenkins, the team was superior to all other competitors in the play-offs and won the championship again after a five-year hiatus.

In the 2003–04 season, Berlin achieved its last master qualification to participate in the highest European League, the EuroLeague. Between the 2004–05 and 2007–08 seasons, the team was only able to qualify for the ULEB Cup, the second-highest European league. There, the team only made it beyond the first round in the 2006–07 season, when they were eliminated in the second round.

2008–present: Current era

With the move into the new 14,500-seat O2 World Berlin, the then-reigning champion Alba Berlin opened a new chapter in the club's history. Berlin was the first team in German history to ever average more than 7,000 fans in attendance per game. Thus, Alba's manager Marco Baldi and Supervisory Board chairman, Axel Schweitzer, decided to take the next step towards a permanent presence in international competition and appropriate presentation options. The Anschutz Group, owner of the O2 World Berlin, and Alba Berlin agreed to a 15-year contract until 2023, with an option for another ten years.

As the reigning German champion, Alba participated in the 2008–09 Euroleague. There, the team reached the Top 16, where it could not hold its ground against European elite clubs like FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Yet, Alba had Europe's highest attendance at 11,264 spectators in the O2 World Berlin. In addition, the club gathered 14,800 spectators in the main round home game against Union Olimpija, a record crowd at a European Cup game in Germany. While at the national level in the cup final, Alba defeated Baskets Bonn. Later, Alba was beaten by the same team in the play-off semi-final series in five games.

In 2009 and 2015, the manager of Alba Berlin, Marco Baldi, was honored by Euroleague Basketball Company executives with the EuroLeague Executive of the Year Award.^[1]

On 8 October 2014 Alba Berlin defeated the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, 94–93, on a buzzer beater by Jamel McLean.^[2]

File:Alba Berlin game.jpg

Mercedes-Benz Arena before an Alba Berlin game in 2019

In the 2014–15 season, Alba returned to the EuroLeague and reached the Top 16. In the Bundesliga, the team had another disappointing season: it finished in second place, but was eliminated in the semifinals. In the 2015–16 season, Alba had one of its worst seasons in history as the team managed to finish only in 7th place in the regular season, though Alba won the German Cup. In the playoffs, the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the 2016–17 season, the same thing repeated – a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga.

The 2017–2018 season, though Alba returned to the finals, losing only to Bayern Munich. Alba also had one of the better Eurocup campaigns of the past years, being closest to the playoffs in years. Alba had brought an awarded veteran for the 2017/18: The Spaniard Aíto García Reneses, 70 years old at the time of signing up his first contract abroad. He had won nine Spanish championship titles (Spanish Basketball Liga) as well as Olympic silver as a coach (2008). With him a successful Spanish Army^[3] took over: The 2017 new coaching staff also included other Spaniards: such as co-coach Israel González who had worked with Aito in the past, individual coach Carlos Frade and athletics coach Pepe Silva Moreno. As in the previous course of his coaching work, García Reneses has increasingly brought players from the younger teams into the professional team in Berlin, like Franz Wagner and Tim Schneider [26] .

In the 2018–2019 season, Alba had some of its greatest success in more than a decade, as they not only played in the Bundesliga finals for the second year in a row, but also managed to reach the 2019 EuroCup Finals, where they ultimately lost the series 1–2 to Valencia Basket. Two of Alba's players, Rokas Giedraitis, and Luke Sikma (who was also named the league's MVP), were selected to the All-EuroCup First Team, while the team's coach, Aíto García Reneses, was named the Eurocup Coach of the Year. The club also set the season's record for highest attendance, with 12,945 spectators in a finals game against Valencia Basket, which Alba won 95–92.

File:2022-06-17 ALBA Berlin gegen FC Bayern München (Basketball-Bundesliga 2021-22) by Sandro Halank–009.jpg

Alba fans in June 2022

The 2019–20 season was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a final tournament behind closed doors in Munich, Alba went on an undefeated 10–0 streak to win its 9th German title, its first in 12 years.^[4] In the 2021–22 season, Alba won the BBL again.

After 24 years, the team decided to join European third tier Basketball Champions League in the following 2025–26 season after participating with Euroleague Basketball's competition's EuroLeague and EuroCup which they both played for 12 seasons together.

Players

Retired numbers

colspan="5" style="Template:Basketball color cell"\|Alba Berlin retired numbers
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4	Template:Flagicon	Henrik Rödl	SF	1993–2004
12	Template:Flagicon	Wendell Alexis	PF	1996–2002

Current roster

Template:Basketball roster footer

Depth chart

Template:Basketball depth chart

Season by season

File:Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin August 2015.JPG

The Mercedes-Benz Arena is the host venue for Alba Berlin

File:Alba4.jpeg

Alba Berlin vs the Dallas Mavericks in 2012

Season	Tier	League	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />Pos.Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	German Cup	European competitions
1991–92	1	Bundesliga	2nd		2 European Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1992–93	1	Bundesliga	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />2ndScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		3 Korać Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1993–94	1	Bundesliga	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />3rdScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		3 Korać Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1994–95	1	Bundesliga	2nd		3 Korać Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />CScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1995–96	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Semi-finalist	3 Korać Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QFScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1996–97	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1997–98	1	Bundesliga	1st		1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QFScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1998–99	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1999–00	1	Bundesliga	1st	Runner-up	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2000–01	1	Bundesliga	1st		1 SuproLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QFScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2001–02	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2002–03	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2003–04	1	Bundesliga	3rd		1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2004–05	1	Bundesliga	3rd		2 ULEB Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2005–06	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Champion	2 ULEB Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2006–07	1	Bundesliga	5th		2 ULEB Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2007–08	1	Bundesliga	1st	Fourth place	2 ULEB Cup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2008–09	1	Bundesliga	3rd	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2009–10	1	Bundesliga	6th	Quarter-finalist	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QR2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2009–10	1	Bundesliga	6th	Quarter-finalist	2 Eurocup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RUScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2010–11	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Quarter-finalist	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QR3Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2010–11	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Quarter-finalist	2 Eurocup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2011–12	1	Bundesliga	5th	Quarter-finalist	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QR2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2011–12	1	Bundesliga	5th	Quarter-finalist	2 Eurocup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2012–13	1	Bundesliga	5th	Champion	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2013–14	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Champion	2 Eurocup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />QFScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2014–15	1	Bundesliga	3rd	Third place	1 Euroleague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2015–16	1	Bundesliga	7th	Champion	2 Eurocup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2016–17	1	Bundesliga	6th	Third place	2 EuroCup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2017–18	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Runner-up	2 EuroCup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />T16Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2018–19	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Runner-up	2 EuroCup	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RUScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2019–20	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />CXScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2020–21	1	Bundesliga	1st	Runner-up	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2021–22	1	Bundesliga	1st	Champion	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2022–23	1	Bundesliga	5th	Semi-finalist	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2023–24	1	Bundesliga	2nd	Semi-finalist	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
2024–25	1	Bundesliga	7th	Quarter-finalist	1 EuroLeague	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />RSScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Honours

File:Korać Cup.jpg

Korać Cup

Total Titles: 26

Domestic competitions

German League (11)

Winners: 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22

German Cup (11)

Winners: 1996–97, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2021–22

German Supercup (3)

Winners: 2008, 2013, 2014

European competitions

FIBA Korać Cup (1)

Winners: 1994–95

EuroCup

Runners-up: 2009–10, 2018–19

Other competitions

Zadar Basketball Tournament

Runners-up: 2019

Berlin, Germany Invitational Game

Winners: 2010

Zielona Gora, Poland Invitational Game

Winners: 2015

Torneo EncestaRias

Winners: 2018

Trofeo Alava

Runners-up: 2018

Clermont-Ferrand, France Invitational Game

Winners: 2019

Oranienburg, Germany Invitational Game

Winners: 2019

Games against NBA teams

6 October 2012

Alba Berlin Template:Flagicon

84–89

Template:Flagicon Dallas Mavericks

O2 World, Berlin
Attendance: 14.504^[5]

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8 October 2014

Alba Berlin Template:Flagicon

94–93

Template:Flagicon San Antonio Spurs

O2 World, Berlin
Attendance: 14.504^[6]

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The road to 1995 FIBA Korać Cup victory

Round	Opponent club	Home	Away
2nd	Template:Flagicon ZTE	79–59	76–60
Top 32	Template:Flagicon JDA Dijon	106–88	81–72
Top 16	Template:Flagicon Pau-Orthez	82–101	80–78
	Template:Flagicon Birex Verona	76–66	74–87
	Template:Flagicon Estudiantes Argentaria	107–80	63–65
QF	Template:Flagicon Filodoro Bologna	77–73	80–80
SF	Template:Flagicon Cáceres	93–70	74–72
F	Template:Flagicon Stefanel Milano	85–79	87–87

Hall of Fame

Notable players

Template:Basketball notable players criteria

File:Alba Berlin vs BBC Bayreuth, 19 February 2011 (2).jpg

Alba Berlin's home games at Mercedes-Benz Arena (formerly O₂ World) are among the most attended of any European basketball club.

German:

Europe & Rest of the World:

North American:

Head coaches

Template:Flagicon Svetislav Pešić: (1993–2000)
Template:Flagicon Emir Mutapčić: (2000–2005)
Template:Flagicon Henrik Rödl: (2005–2007)
Template:Flagicon Luka Pavićević: (2007–2011)
Template:Flagicon Muli Katzurin: (2011)
Template:Flagicon Gordon Herbert: (2011–2012)
Template:Flagicon Saša Obradović: (2012–2016)
Template:Flagicon Ahmet Çakı: (2016–2017)
Template:Flagicon Aíto García Reneses: (2017–2021)
Template:Flagicon Israel González: (2021–2025)
Template:Flagicon Pedro Calles: (2025–present)

Home arenas

File:Albadancers.jpg

Alba Dancers in 2013

Sömmeringhalle: (1991–1996)
Deutschlandhalle: (1995), used only once, for the FIBA Korać Cup Final
Max-Schmeling-Halle: (1996–2008)
Uber Arena: (2008–present)

Sponsorships

Name sponsor	Template:Flagicon ALBA SE^[7]
Main partner and shirt sponsor	Template:Flagicon Cazoo^[7]
Shirt sponsor	Template:Flagicon bett1^[7]
Sport clothing manufacturer	Template:Flagicon Adidas AG^[7]

References

↑ Club Executive of the Year: Marco Baldi, Alba Berlin Euroleague.net
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External links

Template:Sister project

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Euroleague.net Team Profile
Eurobasket.com Team Profile

Template:Alba Berlin current roster Template:Basketball Bundesliga Template:Alba Berlin 1994–95 FIBA Korać Cup Champions Template:Authority control

Template:Portal bar

[1] Club Executive of the Year: Marco Baldi, Alba Berlin Euroleague.net

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[kit-7] Partner-Übersicht Alba Berlin Basketballteam, albaberlin.de. Retrieved 30 September 2015. Template:In lang

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Alba Berlin

Contents

History

1991–2000: Foundation and first championships

2000–2008: Professionalization and national success

2008–present: Current era

Players

Retired numbers

Current roster

Depth chart

Season by season

Honours

Domestic competitions

European competitions

Other competitions

Games against NBA teams

The road to 1995 FIBA Korać Cup victory

Hall of Fame

Notable players

Head coaches

Home arenas

Sponsorships

See also

References

External links

Navigation menu

Alba Berlin

History

1991–2000: Foundation and first championships

2000–2008: Professionalization and national success

2008–present: Current era

Players

Retired numbers

Current roster

Depth chart

Season by season

Honours

Domestic competitions

European competitions

Other competitions

Games against NBA teams

The road to 1995 FIBA Korać Cup victory

Hall of Fame

Notable players

Head coaches

Home arenas

Sponsorships

See also

References

External links

Navigation menu

Search