30 years of passion - 30 years of Telekom Baskets Bonn and Deutsche Telekom. A success story began in Bonn in 1995. Since then, together we have stood for top-class sport, emotion and the promotion of basketball. The atmosphere at Telekom Baskets' home games is legendary throughout the league. Take a look back with us.
The beginnings: Deutsche Telekom was involved in the founding of Telekom Baskets Bonn in 1995. It demanded the establishment of an independent club as a prerequisite for long-term sponsorship. © Telekom Baskets Bonn
Promotion: As early as 1996, the Bonn team was promoted to the German Basketball League with 22 wins in 22 games. Baskets President Dr. Hans Braun, Bonn's Mayor Bärbel Dieckmann and our then CEO Ron Sommer celebrated the promotion at Sportpark Pennenfeld. © Norbert Ittermann
Vice champion: In 1997, the Baskets were the first and so far only promoted team to reach the final in their debut season. In the German championship final, ALBA Berlin won the series 3:1 to secure its first championship title. Nevertheless, Eric Taylor's “three-pointer from the parking lot” was a historic event for the club. © Jörn Wolter
D1 storms 1st league: In 1998, the team photo was taken on the roof of the Telekom Headquarters. The D1 logo was prominently displayed on the jerseys. The D1 network is the former name of our mobile network. It was one of the first digital mobile networks in Germany and was introduced in 1992. The D1 network was based on the GSM standard and enabled mobile customers to use digital voice and data transmissions. © Telekom Baskets Bonn
The record player: Branko Klepac played for Telekom Baskets Bonn from 1998 to 2006, a total of eight seasons. At the age of 21, he became the youngest captain in the league. He played 311 games for the Baskets - more than any other player - and scored 1,311 points. Branko reached seven quarter-finals with Bonn, four semi-finals and two finals series against ALBA Berlin. Since the end of his basketball career, he has worked for Deutsche Telekom. © Branko Klepac
The dream of an own arena: The foundation stone for the Telekom Dome in Bonn was laid on January 24, 2007. The ceremony was attended by around 500 invited guests, including representatives of the Baskets, the city of Bonn and sponsors. President Wolfgang Wiedlich and Stephan Althoff, then Head of Group Sponsoring, lent a hand themselves. The construction marked the beginning of the first and only club-owned arena for a basketball club in Germany. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
The Telekom Dome: The inauguration ceremony of the Telekom Dome took place on September 12, 2008. The arena has capacity for 6,000 people. It serves as a venue and training center for the Bundesliga team and the junior teams of Telekom Baskets Bonn and replaced the Hardtberghalle. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
Drama in Oldenburg: In the 2009 BBL final between Telekom Baskets Bonn and EWE Baskets Oldenburg, Oldenburg won the decisive fifth game 71:70 to secure their first German championship title. The game was extremely dramatic: Bonn led by eleven points at one stage, but Oldenburg fought back and decided the game with a free throw by Je'Kel Foster five seconds before the end. © Jörn Wolter
From Telekom trainee to basketball player: Florian Koch, wing player for Telekom Baskets Bonn, began his training at Deutsche Telekom in 2011. He shortened this to two and a half years in order to graduate as an industrial clerk in 2013. He then concentrated entirely on basketball. For many years, he was a top performer for the Baskets and an absolute crowd favorite. He only ended his sporting career in 2024. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
Baskets@school: In 2017, Deutsche Telekom and Baskets launched the Baskets@school sports project in cooperation with the city of Bonn. This includes the Baskets Primary School Challenge, the Baskets Primary School League and sporting activities with their idols during Baskets sports lessons. Around 10,000 children from the region have already been able to improve their basketball skills. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
The legendary Telekom shirts: Deutsche Telekom traditionally provides support with T-shirt campaigns before the playoffs. Magenta-colored T-shirts are handed out to 6,000 seats in the Telekom Dome. In 2019, the motto was: “#HEARTBERG zur Festung”. This inspires the fans and creates a special atmosphere. Other classics included “Bonn to be wild” and “Hück oder nie”. © Jörn Wolter
The coronavirus crisis: Like many clubs, the Baskets faced major challenges during the coronavirus pandemic, such as game interruptions and financial losses or having to play in ghost games. Despite the difficulties, the Baskets strengthened team cohesion and received crucial support from fans and sponsors, enabling them to overcome the crisis with confidence. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
Baskets at the Telekom headquarters: Telekom Baskets Bonn players also visiedt the Headquarters time and again. For example, they supported our CEO during the filming of a Tim testet video in October 2021. Tim Höttges didn't miss the opportunity to shoot a few baskets in the courtyard with Michael Kessens, Tyson Ward, Karsten Tadda and Justin Gorham afterwards. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
First title in the club's history: Telekom Baskets Bonn won the Basketball Champions League final 77:70 against Hapoel Jerusalem on May 14, 2023. This was the first title in the club's history. Around 2,000 fans cheered on the Baskets at the Telekom Forum. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
CEO meets MVP: Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges greeted the players personally when Deutsche Telekom welcomed Telekom Baskets Bonn as its main sponsor on June 19, 2023. Many employees came to the packed Headquarters with family and friends to celebrate the end of the season with the Telekom Baskets and the first title in the Baskets' club history with the Champions League victory. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
Baskets roll with the 99ers: Telekom Baskets Bonn made a new sports experience. On April 12, 2024, a joint wheelchair basketball session took place with the Köln 99ers and Baskets players. Both professional clubs and Telekom set a strong example for inclusion in and through sport and in society. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
The documentary: Deutsche Telekom has presented the Baskets with a documentary to mark their anniversary. In four episodes, the documentary “Heimat und Herzblut” takes a look at the club's history and the people who have shaped the club. The first two episodes have already been released and are available free of charge on MagentaSport and MagentaTV. © Deutsche Telekom / Norbert Ittermann
