Alba Berlin

Alba Berlin
Nickname	Berlin Albatrosse
Leagues	German League Eurocup
Founded	1991
History	Alba Berlin (1991–present)
Arena	Mercedes-Benz Arena
Capacity	14,500[1]
Location	Berlin, Germany
Team colors	Yellow, Navy, Blue
President	Dieter Hauert
Team manager	Marco Baldi
Head coach	Saša Obradović
Championships	1 Korać Cup 8 German Championships 9 German Cups 3 German Champions Cups
Retired numbers	2 (4, 12)
Website	albaberlin.de
Uniforms
Home Away

Alba Berlin (also Berlin Albatrosse) is a prominent German 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 Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin and competes in the German League and the Euroleague or the Eurocup.

After winning eight German Championships, nine 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 was founded in 1991

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 AG, 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 Korać Cup in 1995 was 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

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 September 1, 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 season the season 2007–08, (including the loss of Goran Jeretin for the entire season and Aleksandar Rašić for the play-offs) in January 2008 Berlin took advantage of the insolvency of the Cologne 99ers and signed their major players Immanuel McElroy and Aleksandar Nađfeji. 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 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 seasons 2004–05 and 2007–08, the team was able to present itself "only" in ULEB Cup, the second-highest European league. Here, only in the 2006–07 season the team made it beyond the first round and where it was eliminated in the second round.

2008–2016: Current era

Alba logo used till 2015^[2]

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 10 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.^[3]

On October 8, 2014 Alba Berlin defeated the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs 94-93 on a buzzer beater by Jamel McLean.^[4]

In the 2014–15 season, Alba participated in the Euroleague again and reached the Top 16. The team had once again a disappointing postseason finish.

Players

Retired numbers

Alba Berlin retired numbers
N°	Nat.	Player	Position	Tenure
4		Henrik Rödl	SF	1993–2004
12		Wendell Alexis	PF	1996–2002

Current roster

Niels Giffey

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Alba Berlin roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age SF 5 Giffey, Niels  2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 24 – 9 June 1991 G 6 Lowery, Robert 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 78 kg (172 lb) 28 – 23 December 1987 F 7 King, Alex (C) 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 103 kg (227 lb) 31 – 20 February 1985 PG 8 Akpinar, Ismet  1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 20 – 22 May 1995 C 9 Kikanović, Elmedin 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 27 – 2 September 1988 C 10 Lončar, Krešimir 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 114 kg (251 lb) 33 – 12 February 1983 SG 11 Vargas, Akeem 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 26 – 29 April 1990 G/F 15 Liyanage, Marc 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 26 – 9 February 1990 C 18 Wohlfarth-Bottermann, Jonas 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 26 – 20 February 1990 G/F 21 Milosavljević, Dragan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 26 – 11 May 1989 PG 22 Cherry, Will 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 25 – 8 February 1991 PG 23 Taylor, Jordan 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 88 kg (194 lb) 26 – 30 September 1989 F 24 Ashley, Brandon 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 21 – 15 July 1994	Head coach Saša Obradović Assistant coach(es) Milenko Bogićević Thomas Päch Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Development player Injured Roster Updated: March 16, 2016

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Bench 3
C	Elmedin Kikanović	Jonas Bottermann
PF	Krešimir Lončar	Brandon Ashley
SF	Alex King	Niels Giffey	Marc Liyanage
SG	Dragan Milosavljević	Robert Lowery	Akeem Vargas
PG	Will Cherry	Jordan Taylor	Ismet Akpinar

Season by season

The Mercedes Benz Arena is the host venue for Alba Berlin

Alba Berlin vs Dallas Mavericks in 2012.

Season	Tier	League	Pos.	Postseason	German Cup	European competitions
1991–92	1	Bundesliga	2	Finalist	–	2 Played European Cup
1992–93	1	Bundesliga	2	Quarterfinalist	–	3 Played Korać Cup
1993–94	1	Bundesliga	3	Semifinalist	–	3 Played Korać Cup
1994–95	1	Bundesliga	2	Finalist	–	3 Korać Cup champion
1995–96	1	Bundesliga	2	Finalist	Semifinalist	3 Korać Cup quarterfinalist
1996–97	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Champion	1 Played Euroleague
1997–98	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	–	1 Euroleague quarterfinalist
1998–99	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Champion	Played Euroleague
1999–00	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Finalist	1 Played Euroleague
2000–01	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	–	1 SuproLeague quarterfinalist
2001–02	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Champion	1 Euroleague Regular Season
2002–03	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Champion	1 Euroleague Regular Season
2003–04	1	Bundesliga	3	Semifinalist	–	1 Euroleague Regular Season
2004–05	1	Bundesliga	3	Semifinalist	–	2 Played ULEB Cup
2005–06	1	Bundesliga	2	Finalist	Champion	2 Played ULEB Cup
2006–07	1	Bundesliga	5	Quarterfinalist	–	2 Played ULEB Cup
2007–08	1	Bundesliga	1	Champion	Fourth place	2 Played ULEB Cup
2008–09	1	Bundesliga	3	Semifinalist	Champion	1 Euroleague Top 16
2009–10	1	Bundesliga	6	Quarterfinalist	Quarterfinalist	2 Eurocup Finalist
2010–11	1	Bundesliga	2	Finalist	Quarterfinalist	2 Played Eurocup
2011–12	1	Bundesliga	3	Quarterfinalist	Quarterfinalist	2 Played Eurocup
2012–13	1	Bundesliga	5	Quarterfinalist	Champion	1 Euroleague – Top 16
2013–14	1	Bundesliga	3	Finalist	Champion	2 Eurocup – Quarterfinalist
2014–15	1	Bundesliga	2	Semifinalist	Third place	1 Euroleague – Top 16
2015–16	1	Bundesliga	6		Champion	2 Eurocup

Honours

Korać Cup

Total Titles: 20

Domestic

German League

• Winners (8):1996-97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999-00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007-08

German Cup

• Winners (9): 1996-97, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16

German Supercup

• Winners (3): 2008, 2013, 2014

European

FIBA Korać Cup

• Winners (1): 1994-95

Eurocup

• Runners-up (1): 2009-10

Games against NBA teams

6 October 2012

Alba Berlin

84–89

Dallas Mavericks

O2 World, Berlin

8 October 2014

Alba Berlin

94–93

San Antonio Spurs

O2 World, Berlin

Korać Cup victory

Round Team   Home     Away   2nd round ZTE 79–59 76–60 Top 32 Dijon 106–88 81–72 Top 16 Pau-Orthez 82–101 80–78 Birex Verona 76–66 74–87 Estudiantes Caja Postal 107–80 63–65 Quarter-finals Filodoro Bologna 77–73 80–80 Semi-finals Cáceres 93–70 74–72 Finals Stefanel Milano 85–79 87–87

Hall of Fame

Notable players

To appear in this section a player must have either:

• Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
• Played at least one official international match for his senior national team or one NBA game at any time.

Alba Berlin is one of the most visited basketball clubs in Europe.

German: Stephen Arigbabu Stephan Baeck Uwe Blab Mithat Demirel Patrick Femerling Stefano "Nino" Garris Hansi Gnad Demond Greene Henning Harnisch Johannes Herber Jörg Lütcke Ademola Okulaja Teoman Öztürk Marco Pešić Henrik Rödl Heiko Schaffartzik Sven Schultze Christian Welp

European/African: Vule Avdalović Saša Obradović Tadija Dragićević Dejan Koturović Vladimir Petrović-Stergiou Zoran Radović Miroslav Raduljica Jovo Stanojević Goran Jeretin Goran Nikolić Blagota Sekulić Vojdan Stojanovski Teoman Alibegović Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje Geert Hammink Vasily Karasev Matej Mamić Martynas Mažeika Kirk Penney Szymon Szewczyk Tanel Tein Jiří Zídek, Jr.

North-American: Wendell Alexis William Avery Michael Bradley Bobby Brown John Celestand Terry Dehere Sharrod Ford Kiwane Garris Julius Jenkins Immanuel McElroy Chris Owens Mike Penberthy Derrick Phelps Hollis Price Kevin Rankin Dijon Thompson Luke Whitehead Mike Whitmarsh Michael Wright

Notable head coaches

• Svetislav Pešić (1993–2000)
• Emir Mutapčić (2000–2005)
• Henrik Rödl (2005–2007)
• Muli Katzurin (2011)
• Gordon Herbert (2011–2012)
• Saša Obradović (2012–present)

Home arenas

Alba Dancers in 2013

• Sömmeringhalle (1991–1996)
• Deutschlandhalle (1995), used only once for the Korac Cup Final
• Max-Schmeling-Halle (1996–2008)
• O2 World (Berlin) (2008–present)

Sponsorships

Official Name Sponsor	ALBA SE [5]
Official Shirt Sponsor	ZhongDe Metal Group [5]
Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer	Adidas AG [5]

See also

• 2012 NBA Europe Live Tour

References

1. Stadiums in Germany, Berlin Worldstadiums.com
3. Club Executive of the Year: Marco Baldi, Alba Berlin Euroleague.net
4. "VIDEO: Spurs lose to Alba Berlin at the buzzer". CBS Sports. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
5. Partner-Übersicht Alba Berlin Basketballteam, albaberlin.de, Retrieved 30 September 2015. (German)

External links

• Official website (German) (English)
• Euroleague.net Team Profile
• Eurobasket.com Team Profile