Ratiopharm Ulm can crown the German basketball champion on Tuesday (24.06.2025). Will Ulm’s Talent Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue play against FC Bayern?
Master match ball or NBA draft? Ratiopharm Ulm is covered in the use of his top talents Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue in the possibly decisive final game of the basketball Bundesliga. “You will only see in the hall who is on the field,” said Ulm’s sports director Thorsten Leibenath before the fourth duel on Tuesday (from 8 p.m. in the live stream on SWR Sport) with defending champion Bayern Munich.
According to international media reports, at least Noa Essengue seems to have made his choice: the 18-year-old was in Manhattan on Monday evening at a PR event on the US magazine “Slam”. Precisory young basketball players were guests. Including Noa Essengue, which can be seen in the magazine’s Instagram story.
Ulmer are still upset
The Ulm had made an application to move the final games four and five (June 24th and 26th) so that Essengue and Saraf can be part of the NBA draft in New York (June 25th and 26th) as well as at the BBL final games. Essengue (18) is considered a top 10 candidate when selecting the talent, and Saraf (19) could also be selected in the first round. The application was rejected by the BBL, and Bayern had not agreed either.
Basketball | Bundesliga
Appointment dispute on the back of two teenagers: BBL does not give a good picture
In the final series of the basketball Bundesliga (BBL) between Munich and Ulm, in addition to the title, the title is also about an appointment dispute. At the center of this Zwist: Teenager Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue who play for Ulm. This is not fair, says SWR Sport Reporter David Luding.
Leibenath renewed his criticism of the league. You stay with the “clear positioning”, he said before the duel on Tuesday, which could lead to the second championship title for Ulm after 2023: “Our allegation clearly goes to the league, which traces our players between their dreams with the scheduling.”
Saraf and Essengue have the “free choice”
Ulm had left the “free choice” to the players and did not pose “on the contract content”. The Munich team was actually expected to agree. “You always want to win against the best full opponent team,” said Leibenath.
That is why he, spoke to any fan reactions, had no building pain if the team of world championships Gordon Herbert had whistled. “But I think we have a fair audience,” he added.
Ulm leads 2-1 in the final series in which the best-of-five mode is played and could make the second title of the club history perfect with a home win. Ty Harrelson’s team is still unbeaten at home in 2025.
