PS Karlsruhe Lions
| PS Karlsruhe Lions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | ProA | ||
| Founded | 1961 | ||
| Arena | Europahalle | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Location | Karlsruhe, Germany | ||
| President | Danijel Ljubić | ||
| Head coach | Demond Greene | ||
| Team captain | Julian Albus | ||
| Championships | 1 ProA | ||
| Website | psk-lions.de | ||
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The PS Karlsruhe Lions are a German professional basketball team located in Karlsruhe. The team competes in Germany's ProA league, the country's second division. In 2017, the team promoted from the third tier ProB to the second tier.[1] The team is part of the multi-sports club Post Südstadt Karlsruhe (PSK).
As of 2024, the team has been the reigning champion of the German ProA league.
History
[edit]Basketball has been played at PSK in the southern Karlsruhe district of Weiherfeld-Dammerstock since 1961. In the following decades, the department celebrated numerous regional and national successes. In 2016, the PS Karlsruhe Lions had four men's teams and two women's teams registered for play. In addition, there were numerous youth teams from U10 to U18. Until 2016, there was a cooperation with BG Karlsruhe, which had emerged in 1993 from the basketball departments of PSK and its neighboring club, FC Südstern. Due to the promotion of the first men's team of the PS Karlsruhe Lions to the 2nd Bundesliga ProB, the cooperation was terminated in May 2016, as both teams competed in the same league in the 2016/17 season. The first Karlsruhe women's team played in the Regionalliga Südwest.
The Lions consolidated their position in the ProA after earning promotion in 2017.[2]
In the 2018–19 season, the Lions reached the ProA playoffs for the first time, advancing to the semifinals before being eliminated by promotion contenders.[3]
During 2020–21, the club struggled to maintain consistency and finished outside the playoff places, instead emphasizing the development of young German talent.[4]
The 2021–22 season marked a return to form, as Karlsruhe qualified for the postseason before exiting in the quarterfinals.[5]
In 2022–23, the Lions finished mid-table and narrowly missed the playoffs, focusing on financial stability and building partnerships for long-term growth.[6]
On 7 April 2024, the Lions' Lachlan Dent set a ProA league record for 3-poniters made in a single game as he hit 10 in the game vs. Paderborn Baskets.[7]
In 2024, the Lions celebrated the greatest success in their club's history by winning the ProA championship and securing promotion to the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) for the first time.[8]
Arenas
[edit]Until 2017, the club played in the Friedrich-List-Schule, which had a capacity of 862 people. In the 2017–18 season, following the club's promotion to the ProA, the Lions started playing in the Europahalle Karlsruhe which has a capacity of 1,500 people. In 2020, they moved to the Lina-Radke-Halle. (1,500 seats)
For the 2024-25 season, the Lions returned to the Europahalle with an anticipated capacity of 3,500 visitors.[9]
Honors
[edit]- Champions: 2023–24
Players
[edit]Current roster
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| PS Karlsruhe LIONS roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: October 27, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season by season
[edit]| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | 5 | 2. Regionalliga | 2nd | |
| 2014–15 | 5 | 2. Regionalliga | 1st | |
| 2015–16 | 4 | 1. Regionalliga | 1st | |
| 2016–17 | 3 | ProB | 2nd | |
| 2017–18 | 2 | ProA | 3rd | |
| 2018–19 | 2 | ProA | 8th | |
| 2019–20 | 2 | ProA | 15th | |
| 2020–21 | 2 | ProA | 11th | |
| 2021–22 | 2 | ProA | 7th | |
| 2022–23 | 2 | ProA | 3rd | |
| 2023–24 | 2 | ProA | 1st | First round |
| 2024–25 | 2 | ProA | First round |
Notable players
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Criteria |
|---|
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To appear in this section a player must have either:
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Head coaches
[edit]
Michael Mai (2017–2018)
Ivan Rudež (2018–2020)
Drazan Salavarda (2020–2021)- Aleksandar Scepanovic (2021–2025) (ProA winner 2024)
- Demond Greene (2025–present)
References
[edit]- ^ Endstand 92:75: PSK Lions steigen in die zweite Bundesliga auf regio-news.de, 23 April 2017. Accessed 16 June 2017. (in German)
- ^ "Karlsruhe Lions reach ProA semifinals". SWR Sport. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Karlsruhe Lions reach ProA semifinals". Badische Neueste Nachrichten. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "PSK Lions verpassen Playoffs". Kicker. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "PS Karlsruhe Lions scheiden im Viertelfinale aus". SWR Sport. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "PS Karlsruhe Lions beenden Saison auf Rang 10". Badische Neueste Nachrichten. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Lachlan Dent wirft sich in die Geschichtsbücher: PS Karlsruhe Lions feiern ihren König der Löwen Moritz Hirn (Badische Neueste Nachrichten), 10 April 2024. Accessed 24 September 2024.(in German)
- ^ "Größter Erfolg der Vereinsgeschichte – Karlsruher LIONS holen die Meisterschaft". meinka.de (in German). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ Moritz Hirn (30 January 2024). "Rückkehr mit erstklassigen Zielen: PSK Lions spielen bald wieder in der Karlsruher Europahalle". Badische Neueste Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 10 April 2024.