WITHAt the end of the day, Niklas Kiel was on the basketball floor on May 12, 2019 in the Bundesliga game against Gießen, won 82:81. For almost 16 minutes and with a yield of five points for the Frankfurt Skyliners. What nobody knew at the time, but what could not be ruled out due to his persistent history of suffering: It was the last game of the 2.08 meter long and highly talented Power Forward as a professional. On Wednesday, more than a year later, the native of Herford, Kiel, officially ended his career at the age of only 22. He suffered three concussions between September 2017 and July 2018 and one unbelievable number of injuries. Continuing was out of the question for health reasons.
His irrepressible will was of no use either. His recovery process continues to this day, and Kiel is still in therapy. “There are small training measures to be able to concentrate better in everyday life,” he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Abrupt turning movements and rapid changes of direction can make him dizzy. Kiel tries to avoid both. The former junior international who was the only German and together with 40 globally selected talents to be invited to the “Basketball without Borders Global Camp” at the NBA Allstar Game in New York in 2015 cannot live the dream of a great basketball career. He managed to join the squad of the best talent in the world, which played against an American selection in front of many NBA coaches and scouts.
“Getting the diagnosis that I can’t go on playing basketball is of course extremely tough. This news is the worst idea for any athlete, ”says Kiel, who had to realize that despite lengthy rehabilitation measures, he no longer has a future as a competitive athlete. “I really gave everything and fought to make my way back onto the floor. I had made it for a few games – which I’m very proud of. ”Basketball will“ always be a big part of me ”. What will he miss most? “The game itself, the players and traveling,” he says. As of today, he will not be able to play basketball even as a hobby.
“His health comes first”
The number of his setbacks was great. As a 17-year-old he was hit in the head in a third division game in Rostock. After a night in the hospital, Kiel had to suspend games for two weeks. In mid-September 2017, his teammate Mike Morrison accidentally hit him with his elbow on the temple during training. This time it took two months for Kiel to get back on its feet. But the unlucky streak continued: In the third game after his comeback, it was a Bremerhaven player whose elbow hit Kiel in the face. It took him four months to regenerate. It was thanks to his discipline that he was able to play seven more games in spring 2018.
In July, however, Kiel collapsed on the way to his apartment in the stairwell and hit his head on the floor. Again he complained of a concussion – with serious consequences: his field of vision was restricted. His sense of balance and smell were also affected. Kiel had to spend several weeks in a darkened room. Still, he fought his way back one last time before running into new problems in the summer of 2019. The “fate of injury” recently gave Kiel a “very heavy rucksack. Niklas had to make a difficult decision for his life and leave basketball behind, ”said Skyliners head coach Sebastian Gleim. “His health comes first, and that’s why he made the only right choice for himself.”
At the age of 16, Kiel had come to Frankfurt from Paderborn as one of the most promising German talents. He made his Bundesliga debut in October 2015 against Tübingen – at the age of 18. He saw himself as a flexible “point forward”. As someone who could bring the ball forward, throw it and rebound. Now Kiel, who has a high school diploma, will study or begin training. “I’m definitely staying in the sports industry,” he says. “That was and is my life.”
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