Telekom Baskets Bonn has signed national team player Leon Kratzer. Three years after winning the Champions League, the center is returning to the Rhineland.
Kratzer was most recently under contract with FC Bayern Munich, but saw little playing time there under both Svetislav Pesic and, previously, Gordon Herbert. Instead, the 29-year-old has signed a two-year contract in Bonn.
The center had previously played there from 2020 to 2023, with the highlight of that stint, of course, being the Champions League victory under current NBA coach Tuomas Iisalo. “After spending the last two years in Paris and Munich, where he didn’t play much, Leon is returning to Bonn hungry and motivated,” explains Baskets coach Marko Stankovic in a statement. “He’s already familiar with many of our basketball concepts and systems. I’m therefore firmly convinced that Leon, with his international experience, will help us have another successful season.”
The Baskets are killing two birds with one stone. On the one hand, the German rotation is being strengthened; on the other, a replacement has been found for the injured big man Kur Jongkuch, who will be sidelined for an extended period due to knee surgery.
“It feels a bit like coming home,” says Kratzer. “I’ve stayed in touch with the club over the past few years, so the decision was relatively clear to me.”