A team with the most unlikely of mascots, a basketball playing Karl Marx, is possibly the story of the season. Emmet Ryan on Niners Chemnitz and their magical run in the FIBA Europe Cup
A team that was once a curiosity because of its choice of mascot is enjoying a remarkable run this season. Basketball better be ready because Karl Marx and Niners Chemnitz are gunning for glory.
A simple story with a glorious result
“The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it”
There isn’t really a long story behind why Niners Chemnitz chose Karl Marx as the inspiration for their mascot. While the philosopher may not be known for his ties to basketball, he is clearly tied to Chemnitz. The city was known as Karl Marx Stadt from 1953 to 1990. This, of course, was while Germany was divided in two.
It’s a natural tie-in but still, Niners Chemnitz took it to another level. Every time I post a photo of Karli, the mascot’s official name, anywhere it gets a reaction. Even when I am in the pub with friends, I will occasionally show them a photo. To a soul they are all amazed by a basketball playing Karl Marx.
How could they not be? Look at him. Just look at him. It’s so simple yet it drives the mind to all kinds of places. I asked ChatGPT where he’d play, it said point guard. The rationale was something else:
“Given Karl Marx’s focus on equality and the collective well-being of society, his basketball position might have been that of a point guard. As the floor general, he could distribute the ball evenly among his teammates, ensuring everyone had equal opportunities to score and contribute to the team’s success, reflecting his ideas of egalitarianism and solidarity.”
Quite the journey
“Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.”
Right now, Niners Chemnitz are in serious contention in both the FIBA Europe Cup and Basketball Bundesliga. Getting to this point however is a case of a 25 year overnight success story.
Started in 1999, hence the name, Chemnitz spent all of its existence in the lower tiers until it got promoted in 2020. The team had enjoyed a record setting 22 game unbeaten run before the season was halted. As they held top spot in ProA at the time, the Niners were promoted.
A 14th place finish out of 18 teams (with only one relegated because of Covid stuff), was a solid start. What came next was truly exceptional. A 22-12 regular season in the Bundesliga punched their ticket to playoffs in only their second ever top flight season. While they were swept by Bayern, it was still enough to play pan-continental basketball for the first time ever last season.
An exit from the Basketball Champions League (BCL) in the qualifying rounds was followed by a solid run to the last 16 of the FIBA Europe Cup. Add in another playoff outing in the Bundesliga, this time being swept by Telekom Baskets Bonn, and it felt like dreamland.
If anything, it was only the starter course. The fighting Karl Marxes…ok that’s a terrible nickname…were ready to serve up something special.
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The wild run
“The human essence is the true collectivist essence.”
Niners Chemnitz lost their season opener at ratiopharm Ulm, the previous season’s champions. They then went on a 17 game winning streak in all competitions. The streak only ended when they faced Ulm again in December in the German Cup quarter finals.
That hasn’t deterred them in the slightest. In the FIBA Europe Cup, they went 11-1 across the first two phases to reach the knockout rounds. There, they met a Zaragoza team expected to trouble them. Niners Chemnitz battered them by 50 points on aggregate.
As things stand, they are 20-5 in the Bundesliga. While they have dropped all of their games against Euroleague sides FC Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin, the Niners have racked up some big wins.
In addition to winning both legs over Zaragoza, Chemnitz have a win over Ulm (third time’s the charm), as well as wins over Bonn (reigning BCL champions), and Ludwigsburg (BCL playoff team this season). This is not a fluke. This is a serious basketball team.
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Karli the mascot just chilling in the background. Pic: FIBA
Two shots at glory
“History does nothing, it possesses no immense wealth, it wages no battles. It is man, real, living man who does all that”
The Bundesliga has a lot of work left in it for Niners Chemnitz. There are still 9 games left in their regular season. Added to this is the fact that they have never won a playoff game, let alone a series. Still, they are well on course for home-court advantage in at least the first round. That is not to be sniffed at.
The FIBA Europe Cup is another story entirely. The knockout format involves aggregate scoring over two legs. I hate it, I prefer a series, but it is what it is. Niners Chemnitz face Bilbao in the semi-finals. The first leg is on Wednesday away before Ballin Karl Marx welcomes the Basque club to Chemnitz.
If they progress, then they will have a two legged final over the following two Wednesdays. More importantly, a club in only its fourth season of top flight basketball would be playing for a European title. Granted, it’s not like winning Euroleague or the BCL but who cares? This is an amazing story for anyone that likes an underdog. There’s no big private equity vehicle behind all of this. It’s a basketball club with Karl Marx smiling in a uniform that just keeps winning.