New Albany's Braydon Hobbs has a new German Bundesliga basketball team, EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

This is old news, but since I've yet to see it reported anywhere else locally let's dig in. Regular readers will recall our trip to Munich last winter and a chance to see Braydon Hobbs' team play without him.

Bavarian Christmas Interlude 2018, Friday: Returning to Munich for the EuroLeague basketball game between Bayern München and Real Madrid.

Once the legendary Steve LaDuke caught wind of our plan to attend the game on the 21st, he contacted Braydon, who arranged the VIP experience for us. I can't thank both of them enough. Unfortunately, Braydon wasn't on the active roster for the game, which was in the EuroLeague, not the Bundesliga (German national league).

Unfortunate but great fun nonetheless. Steve had let us know that (a) Braydon wasn't enamored of Bayern's coach, and (b) his contract was set to expire anyway.

Consequently he's signed with a new team in the Bundesliga, moving about as far away from Bavaria as possible while remaining in Germany, all the way north to Oldenburg.

I've never been there but it looks like an interesting place.

Braydon's new team is the EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Oldenburg adds three-point ace Hobbs

EWE Baskets Oldenburg signed veteran guard Braydon Hobbs on a two-year deal, the club announced Monday. Hobbs (1.96 meters, 30 years old) has spent the past two seasons with FC Bayern Munich, which he helped win back-to-back German championships and the 2018 German Cup.

Here's a good career recap: Braydon Hobbs To Continue Career With The EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Best of luck to Braydon Hobbs and his family. I'll need to be scouting occasions to catch another game, whether in Oldenburg or ... dare I even hope? ... Bamberg.

Bavarian Christmas Interlude 2018, Friday: Returning to Munich for the EuroLeague basketball game between Bayern München and Real Madrid.

Diana and I visited Bavaria (Munich and Bamberg) just before Christmas. Prior to departure, there was a series entitled Munich Tales 2018. This is the fourth of seven installments summarizing what we did, saw, ate and drank. They're being back-dated to the day we were there.

Previously: A one-night stand with my sweetie in much beloved Bamberg.
Next: The Christmas market at Chinesischen Turm in Munich's Englischer Garten.

Who knew the world-renowned Weyermann malting house had a gift shop? Not this beer lover -- and regrettably, we saw the bus advertisement in route to the train station to leave Bamberg for the return trip to Munich.

Breakfast at the Hotel Nepomuk was a kick.

Sandwiches and beers boarded the train with us. There's nothing better than eating and drinking on a train.

I still enjoy watching a baseball or basketball game every now and then, and while there may or may not be a baseball league in Germany, one thing for certain is it wouldn't be taking place in December. Fortunately ...

New Albany has a pro basketball player right now: Braydon Hobbs, playing in Germany for FC Bayern München.

Once the legendary Steve LaDuke caught wind of our plan to attend the game on the 21st, he contacted Braydon, who arranged the VIP experience for us. I can't thank both of them enough. Unfortunately, Braydon wasn't on the active roster for the game, which was in the EuroLeague, not the Bundesliga (German national league).

Bayern plays in the Audi Dome, a few U-Bahn stops (and a short walk) southwest of the Hauptbahnhof. The arena seats 6,700 for basketball, and if the game against Real Madrid wasn't a sellout, it was close.

Since we seldom indulge in "VIP" anything, it was fun to take advantage of unlimited beer and food before, during and after the game. Appropriately, the evening's chef-driven menu was heavy on Spanish dishes. I hit the Paulaner tap early and often.

The game itself was excellent. The visitors, who perhaps are one of Europe's best clubs, came out smoking in the first half, but Bayern tightened the defense after halftime and fought to within four points at one juncture late in the contest. Real Madrid pulled away in the last two minutes.

Braydon was interviewed in street clothes at halftime.

The halftime band was like Chicago with a female lead singer.

Four days down, only two to go; already I was panting for breath.

New Albany has a pro basketball player right now: Braydon Hobbs, playing in Germany for FC Bayern München.

One of the odd quirks of indulging in off-season travel has been the opportunity to attend European basketball games in Bamberg (2009), Porto (2018), Gdynia (2018), and coming up on December 21, Munich.

Or, as the city is spelled in German, München ... located in Bayern (Bavaria). Munich's pro basketball team is called FC Bayern München, same as its better known soccer/football squad.

As it turns out, one of FC Bayern's players is 29-year-old Braydon Hobbs, a New Albanian basketballer made good, who enjoyed outstanding careers at New Albany High School and Bellarmine University before heading overseas in 2012 to begin playing pro ball.

It's a tad bewildering to me, but many European teams of FC Bayern's stature participate in multiple, overlapping leagues each season. FC Bayern is part of Germany's top domestic basketball league, the Bundesliga, and also plays in the EuroLeague, which is comprised of Europe's top clubs.

Both these leagues have playoffs and championships, and then there's also the annual German Cup competition, which crowns its own champion following a tournament with German clubs from the Bundesliga and the domestic league beneath it. The game we'll be attending is a EuroLeague contest.

FC Bayern Basketball vs. Real Madrid
TURKISH AIRLINES EUROLEAGUE 2018-19
Round 14
Audi Dome, München, Bayern
December 21, 2018

FC Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid: A new rivalry in basketball.

Despite having been major foes for many decades in football, Bayern and Real Madrid have just played each other four times on the basketball courts in official competition since 2000. The Spanish squad has dominated the series 3-1, to date.

FC Bayern's Twitter jokingly called this a pre-game shootaround. 

I've never met Braydon, but was casually acquainted with his dad when we both were at IU Southeast a couple lifetimes ago. We're hoping to at least say hello to him; mutual friend Steve Laduke contacted Braydon, who graciously offered to leave us comps at the will call.

Professional basketball overseas is a manic, mercenary world; since 2012, Braydon has played for eight different teams in various leagues and countries. He's in the second year of a two-year deal with FC Bayern. I'm guessing the future is uncertain, but as Steve said, he's done good for himself in Europe.

Here's added background.

Braydon Hobbs, FC Bayern Munich, by David Hein (Jan 23, 2018; at Eurocupbasketball.com)

Braydon Hobbs is garnering more and more international attention with each breath-taking no-look pass he delivers in the 7DAYS EuroCup. But the FC Bayern Munich guard should be warned there are pitfalls to becoming too popular. It may limit his career choices when his basketball playing days are over.

Hobbs, 28, had his heart set on a career in law enforcement when he graduated from college. "I was more looking into secret services, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) or DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) - going behind the scenes stuff," Hobbs explained. But his great basketball skills and some good fortune put him on the path to stardom and now he has found a second home in Munich.

Hobbs's numbers may not jump off the page; he is averaging 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists for a Bayern team that went 9-1 in the EuroCup Regular Season and is 2-1 thus far in the Top 16. At first glance, he doesn't really stand out on the court – that is until he absolutely wows the fans ...