Schröder's new basketball LGCY series sells out for Berlin debut

A new German basketball competition modelled on football's Baller League, Kings League and Icon League will launch in Berlin on Sunday, with tickets already sold out.

Germany and Cleveland Cavaliers star Dennis Schröder is the face of the new enterprise, with national side team-mates Franz Wagner, Andreas Obst and Isaac Bonga also involved with their own teams.

Their project is called LGCY and starts in front of 2,000 spectators at Berlin's Uber Eats Music Hall. The second event follows on August 9 in Munich. In between, there will be a streetball event next week in Schröder's home town of Braunschweig.

LGCY is an abbreviation of the English word legacy and the basketball events will mirror their indoor football equivalents, with innovative rules as well as a strong link to music and youth culture.

It will still be five-on-five but a digital glass floor will display novelties such as a four-point spot. The shortened game time is initially set at four quarters of five minutes.

The biggest difference to the football versions is that the format does not focus on former players and amateurs but on professionals.

LGCY is initially designed as a close-season series when the NBA, World Cup (2027) or Olympics (2028) are not clogging the calendar.

The German Basketball Bundesliga is not involved but will be watching closely.

"It shows that the entire basketball ecosystem is growing and thriving. Experiments are happening. I find it positive in principle," Bundesliga boss Stefan Holz told dpa.