Basketball Bundesliga to stage playoffs in June

Pro basketball is returning to Germany on June 6 as the Basketball Bundesliga resumes its season, heading straight to the playoffs.

The German Basketball Bundesliga will stage a 10-team playoff tournament, it was announced earlier this week. The 35-game competition is set to wrap up on June 28 in Munich.

The 2019-20 BBL campaign has been on hiatus since March 8 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MagentaSport and Sport1 will provide comprehensive broadcast coverage of the German Basketball Bundesliga’s postseason competition. There are 35 total games on the revamped playoff schedule.

The Bavarian government authorized the BBL’s restart during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to published reports.

Top Basketball Bundesliga teams

FC Bayern Munich, the reigning champions, carries a German Basketball Bundesliga-best 19-2 regular-season record into the playoffs. Ludwigsburg is 17-4, followed by Crailsheim at 15-6 and ALBA Berlin at 14-5.

Eight of the BBL’s teams won’t participate in the upcoming playoffs.

Thirteen or 14 games were wiped off most teams’ schedule due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

What’s more, ALBA Berlin had 15 games to play before the season was suspended.

A bit of history

Bayern Munich captured the 2018-19 BBL season crown, the franchise’s second straight, with a three-game sweep of ALBA Berlin.

Finals MVP Nihad Dedovic had 18 points and six assists in the title-clinching game.