BG Ludwigsburg, for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (English: Giants Ludwigsburg[1]), is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of basketball in Germany.
Founded in 1960 as DJK Ludwigsburg, the club has been a regular in the BBL since the 1986–87 season, when the team promoted from the second division 2. Basketball Bundesliga. Between the period 1970–2012, the team was also known as SpVgg 07 Ludwigsburg and BSG Basket, before changing its name at the end of the sponsorship agreement with EnBW.
The team was founded in 1960 as the basketball section of the multi-sports club DJK Ludwigsburg. In the 1979–80 season, the team promoted for the first time to the highest tier, the Basketball Bundesliga. From 1970 until 1987, the club was known as SpVgg 07, as it was part of the multi-sports club SpVgg Ludwigsburg. In 1987, the team separated from SpVgg and was renamed BSG Basket Ludwigsburg.
In 2008, Ludwigsburg reached the German Cup Final for the first time, but lost to Artland Dragons, 60–74.
In the 2016–17 season, Ludwigsburg participated in the inaugural Basketball Champions League (BCL) season, where they were eliminated by one point on aggregate in the quarter-finals by Banvit. The campaign marked Ludwigsburg's best European performance in history, as it was the first time the team reached the knock-out phase of a European competition. In the 2017–18 season, Ludwigsburg set a new European club record when it advanced to the Final Four of the Champions League, after defeating Oldenburg and Bayreuth in the 16th round and quarter-finals.[2] This was the first time ever the club qualified for the final stage of a European tournament. Ludwigsburg lost in the semi-final to Monaco, 65–87. In the third-place game, the team lost 74–85 to UCAM Murcia, finishing fourth.
On 19 July 2019, David McCray announced his retirement and his number 4 was retired by Riesen, the first retired number in club history.[3]
The 2019–20 season was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a final tournament behind closed doors in Munich, Ludwigsburg reached its first German finals ever. In the finals, it lost to Alba Berlin on aggregate in two games.
Ludwigsburg's home arena, since 2009, is Arena Ludwigsburg, later renamed the MHP Arena, after they moved from Rundsporthalle Ludwigsburg.
Partly due to sponsorship reasons, the team has known various names in its history:[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
- Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
- Played at least one official international match for his senior national team at any time.
Ingo Freyer Karim Jallow Konstantin Konga Jens Kujawa
Goran Kalamiza
Takumi Ishizaki
Siim-Sander Vene
Andrius Giedraitis Donatas Zavackas Povilas Čukinas
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Rawle Alkins Jon Brockman Will Cherry Elijah Childs Mike King Walter Palmer Jerry Green Coby Karl D. J. Kennedy Marcos Knight Mark Montgomery Royce O'Neale Mustafa Shakur Jaleen Smith Michael Stockton Isaiah WhiteheadRIESEN refers to the German word for Giants)
