German Democratic Republic national basketball team
Encyclopedia
East Germany's national basketball team represented the German Democratic Republic
between 1955 and 1973. Its biggest success was at the EuroBasket 1963
in Breslau when it finished 6th out of 16.
, a unified German team competed with 4 eastern German players and finished 14th. At the Eurobasket 1959
in Istanbul
, unlike its counterpart from West Germany
, the east German national team qualified for the eurobasket but only finished 14th out of 17.
The first German-German duel was played 1960 at the qualification to the Summer Olympics
. Despite the lack of popularity of basketball in East Germany, it took the West German basketball team until 1973 to earn its first victory over the East Germans who displayed disciplined playing styles.
At the Eurobasket 1961
in Belgrade
, East Germany finished 12th out of 19, 4 spots better than West Germany.
Overall, the national basketball team of East Germany had its biggest success at the Eurobasket 1963
in Breslau. After four victories and three losses in the preliminary round, East Germany went as the third seed (behind the tournament winner Soviet Union
and silver medalist Poland
) in Group B. Since only the first two places advanced to the semi-finals, East Germany had to play against Belgium
and Bulgaria in the relegation. After declassifying Belgium 81:35, East Germany lost 62:77 against Bulgaria. According to many experts, East Germany was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.
At the Eurobasket 1965
in Moscow
/Tbilisi
, the East German team could not repeat its impressive performance two years earlier. Still, it outperformed its West German competitors by 4 spots and finished 10th out of 16. At its last appearance at a Eurobasket 1967
in Helsinki
/Tampere
, East Germany finished 14th out of 16. West Germany did not qualify for the tournament.
Despite some solid performances at European basketball competitions, East Germany's national basketball team never qualified for the world championships or the summer olympics.
decided to focus its support primarily towards those sports that were most likely to win medals and earn points at international competitions. Since basketball is a teamsport where, in contrast to individual sports, the whole team can only win a single olympic medal, it lost considerable government support. Eventually, the SED banned its basketball players from traveling to non-socialist countries and immensely limited the sponsorship and promotion of talents.
Soon, this meant the end of East German international basketball success, which ceded completely after 1973.
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
between 1955 and 1973. Its biggest success was at the EuroBasket 1963
EuroBasket 1963
The 1963 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1963, was the 13th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition...
in Breslau when it finished 6th out of 16.
History
After second world war, only one German national basketball team existed. At the Eurobasket 1953Eurobasket 1953
The 1953 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1953, was the eighth regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by the Soviet Union,...
, a unified German team competed with 4 eastern German players and finished 14th. At the Eurobasket 1959
EuroBasket 1959
The EuroBasket 1959 was the 11th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 21 May 1959 and concluded with the final on 31 May 1959. Seventeen national teams affiliated with...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, unlike its counterpart from West Germany
Germany national basketball team
The German national basketball team for men is the basketball side that represents Germany in international competitions. Their biggest successes are the victory in the European Championship of 1993 at home in Germany, the silver medal in the 2005 European Championships and the bronze medal in the...
, the east German national team qualified for the eurobasket but only finished 14th out of 17.
The first German-German duel was played 1960 at the qualification to the Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics was the fifth appearance of the sport in Olympic competition. 16 nations were admitted into the Olympic tournament, with many others being eliminated in a pre-Olympic tournament held earlier in the year from 13 to 20 August 1960 at the Sports Palace at Bologna...
. Despite the lack of popularity of basketball in East Germany, it took the West German basketball team until 1973 to earn its first victory over the East Germans who displayed disciplined playing styles.
At the Eurobasket 1961
EuroBasket 1961
The 1961 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1961, was the 12th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Yugoslavia...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, East Germany finished 12th out of 19, 4 spots better than West Germany.
Overall, the national basketball team of East Germany had its biggest success at the Eurobasket 1963
EuroBasket 1963
The 1963 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1963, was the 13th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition...
in Breslau. After four victories and three losses in the preliminary round, East Germany went as the third seed (behind the tournament winner Soviet Union
Soviet Union national basketball team
The Soviet national basketball team was the basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams...
and silver medalist Poland
Poland national basketball team
The Polish national basketball team is the national basketball side that represents Poland in international competitions. It is administrated by the Polski Związek Koszykówki...
) in Group B. Since only the first two places advanced to the semi-finals, East Germany had to play against Belgium
Belgium national basketball team
The Belgian national basketball team is the basketball side that represents Belgium in international competitions. The country side has qualified 13 times for EuroBasket, having their best result as the 4th place in EuroBasket 1947, but haven't qualified since 1993 to the major European...
and Bulgaria in the relegation. After declassifying Belgium 81:35, East Germany lost 62:77 against Bulgaria. According to many experts, East Germany was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.
At the Eurobasket 1965
EuroBasket 1965
-Venues:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # First roundGroup A - MoscowGroup B - Tbilisi-Places 13 - 16:-Places 9 - 12:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Team rosters:...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
/Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, the East German team could not repeat its impressive performance two years earlier. Still, it outperformed its West German competitors by 4 spots and finished 10th out of 16. At its last appearance at a Eurobasket 1967
EuroBasket 1967
-Venues:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # First roundGroup A - HelsinkiGroup B - Tampere-Places 13 - 16 in Tampere:-Places 9 - 12 in Helsinki:-Places 5 - 8 in Tampere:...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
/Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, East Germany finished 14th out of 16. West Germany did not qualify for the tournament.
Despite some solid performances at European basketball competitions, East Germany's national basketball team never qualified for the world championships or the summer olympics.
The end
In 1969 the Socialist Unity Party of GermanySocialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
decided to focus its support primarily towards those sports that were most likely to win medals and earn points at international competitions. Since basketball is a teamsport where, in contrast to individual sports, the whole team can only win a single olympic medal, it lost considerable government support. Eventually, the SED banned its basketball players from traveling to non-socialist countries and immensely limited the sponsorship and promotion of talents.
Soon, this meant the end of East German international basketball success, which ceded completely after 1973.
Performance at Eurobasket
| Year | Position | Tournament | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 14 | Eurobasket 1959 EuroBasket 1959 The EuroBasket 1959 was the 11th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 21 May 1959 and concluded with the final on 31 May 1959. Seventeen national teams affiliated with... |
Istanbul Istanbul Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... , Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... |
| 1961 | 12 | Eurobasket 1961 EuroBasket 1961 The 1961 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1961, was the 12th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Yugoslavia... |
Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe... , Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century.... |
| 1963 | 6 | Eurobasket 1963 EuroBasket 1963 The 1963 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1963, was the 13th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition... |
Wrocław, Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
| 1965 | 10 | Eurobasket 1965 EuroBasket 1965 -Venues:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # First roundGroup A - MoscowGroup B - Tbilisi-Places 13 - 16:-Places 9 - 12:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Team rosters:... |
Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.... |
| 1967 | 14 | Eurobasket 1967 EuroBasket 1967 -Venues:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # First roundGroup A - HelsinkiGroup B - Tampere-Places 13 - 16 in Tampere:-Places 9 - 12 in Helsinki:-Places 5 - 8 in Tampere:... |
Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |