It’s a game that has never been seen before. Next Thursday, ratiopharm Ulm will be the first time a Bundesliga basketball team in the USA will play against an NBA team.
They play in the Bundesliga against teams like Bayern Munich, the giants Ludwigsburg or the Niners Chemnitz. In the Eurocup the opponents come from Gran Canaria, Badalona or Istanbul. On Thursday, ratiopharm Ulm will face a team that puts all of these clubs in the shade – the Portland Trail Blazers from the NBA.
USA against Germany – NBA against BBL – Portland Trail Blazers against ratiopharm Ulm. That sounds like a dream, and it is one that sports director Thorsten Leibenath from ratiopharm Ulm would never have even dared to dream of. “You know how NBA teams come to Europe every now and then to test against a European team. But I never even dreamed that we would fly over as a German team and play a test game,” says Leibenath on SWR. Interview.
Weidemann: “It’s a childhood dream coming true”
“It’s a childhood dream coming true,” says Nelson Weidemann. The Ulm builder is overcome by nervousness on the one hand and anticipation on the other when he thinks about the game. Ulm’s coach Ty Harrelson’s eyes light up: “I grew up in the USA, I followed basketball for a long time. I am very grateful and excited to be on the line there as a coach.”
NBA atmosphere in an XXL arena
It’s just the setting for the game that gives basketball fans goosebumps. The Moda Center in Portland is the home of the Trail Blazers. It holds almost 20,000 spectators. This means its capacity is more than three times as large as that of the ratiopharm Arena in Neu-Ulm.
The hall shouldn’t be full, that’s for sure. But that’s not important, says Nelson Weidemann: “It’s about being able to stand in this hall, on this floor and play against an NBA team. It doesn’t matter whether there are five spectators or whether the hall is packed is.”
The venue for the game between Portland and Ulm – the Moda Center offers space for 20,000 people.
By the way, why the NBA team from North America chose ratiopharm Ulm for the test game is a little secret. One day his phone rang and the NBA club was on the other end of the line asking whether ratiopharm Ulm would like to play a test game, says sports director Leibenath matter-of-factly. So one can speculate as to why ratiopharm Ulm was able to enjoy this preparatory game.
The fact that the Ulm team attracted attention by winning the German championship last year could be one reason. The Bundesliga club is likely to have finally become the focus of major clubs, including on the other side of the Atlantic, with this year’s NBA draft. In the major selection process in which all NBA teams are involved, Pacome Dadiet and Juan Nunez Two players from Ulm were signed by NBA clubs. That was certainly an exclamation mark in the billion-dollar NBA basketball circus.
David versus Goliath?
The game actually has no sporting significance. The preparation for Ulm is anything but optimal. The journey alone, directly after the Eurocup disaster in Istanbul (74:107), is likely to be exhausting. The game takes place at 4 a.m. German time – suboptimal for the biorhythm of a Bundesliga basketball team.
But the people of Ulm don’t just want to fly to the USA to be amazed. “I don’t think we’ll get a slap,” says Nelson Weidemann. Ty Harrelson says: “I always want to win. But in the end it will be a great experience. Then it won’t be that important whether we show up as winners on the scoreboard.” Sports director Thorsten Leibenath also curbs expectations: “You shouldn’t expect a win.”
The people of Ulm will have a small disadvantage due to the rules. The USA-Europe duel will be whistled according to NBA rules. In the NBA, the playing field is larger, the three-point line is further away from the basket and the step error rule is also different. However, the people from Ulm believe that this will not be decisive in the game.
Location determination for both teams
The bottom line is that it will be a position determination – for both teams. The young Ulm players should then know where they are still missing, says Leibenath. After all, it can be expected that the Portland Trail Blazers will not take the game lightly. A game between an NBA team and a non-NBA team is noticed worldwide. Nobody wants to embarrass themselves.
And the new season in the NBA starts next week. Portland is playing against the Golden State Warriors at the start – with Stephen Curry. The Trail Blazers are preparing for the best basketball player in the world with a game against ratiopharm Ulm with captain Thomy Klepeisz. Ulm now joins clubs like the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz on the Portland prep schedule. If that’s not an announcement.
ratiopharm Ulm goes NBA – “once in a lifetime” says coach Ty Harrelson. This only happens once in a lifetime. And as Thorsten Leibenath said: “I wouldn’t even have dared to dream.” By the way, on Saturday, two days after the game, this dream is over again. ratiopharm Ulm plays in the Bundesliga in Oldenburg.
Broadcast on Wed, October 16, 2024 8:30 a.m., SWR4 BW Studio Ulm
