Serge Ibaka returns to Europe.The basketball player who grew up in Brazzaville and is NBA champion in 2019 has signed a one-season contract with Bayern Munich. The 34-year-old winger believes he's far from finished.
Serge Ibaka at Bayern Munich
Serge Ibaka joins Bayern Munich wearing number 14
After 13 seasons, Serge Ibaka says bye-bye to the NBA. The 2019 champion with Toronto is making his return to Europe. He will play in Germany. At 34, the Congolese-born Spaniard has signed a one-season contract with Bayern Munich. The winger has been out of contract since leaving the Milwaukee Bucks last season. He will have played 919 games in the Great American Basketball League, with four different franchises
With the Okhlahoma Thunder, who drafted him 24th in 2008, Serge Ibaka revealed himself. At the time, he brilliantly completed the Durant-Harden-Westbrook big three that lifted the franchise to the NBA Finals for the first time in 2012. A final they lost to Dwayne Wade and Lebron James' Miami. It was a consecration postponed to a later date. In 2019, he will play a key role in Toronto's only NBA title. Little used last season by the Bucks and snubbed by other franchises for several months, Serge Ibaka has decided to bounce back at Bayern Munich. And at the same time, to show that at 34, he's far from finished.
"Serge Ibaka will be a tremendous asset"
"It's a privilege to join this historic and world-famous club, so that the basketball team can rise to the top of Europe. I've had a long career in the NBA, but I'm approaching this new chapter with great enthusiasm. I still have a lot of fuel in me and I love basketball. Having Pablo Laso as coach was also a decisive factor. He's one of the best coaches in the world," explains Serge Ibaka.
In any case, Munich are delighted to welcome this experienced winger, who has played 152 NBA playoff games, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds. "We are deeply proud and happy to see an athlete like Serge Ibaka believe in our project. We are convinced that he will not only be a tremendous asset from a sporting point of view, but also an enrichment for German basketball. I'm certain that our young players will benefit greatly from his vast experience," confided club president Herbert Hainer, in comments relayed by basketusa.
