The 76-year-old basketball veteran Svetislav Pešić unexpectedly takes over as coach for FC Bayern München, replacing Gordon Herbert. The club seeks help from the experienced Serb to escape their crisis in the Euroleague. Pešić will lead the team until the end of the season.
FC Bayern München's basketball team has parted ways with coach Gordon Herbert and is now turning to 76-year-old Svetislav Pešić. The Serb, who previously worked for the club from 2012 to 2016, was quickly presented as the successor—just one day before the Euroleague home game against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Pešić, who coached Serbia's national team until September, brings an impressive track record. In 2002, he led Yugoslavia to the world championship title, and in 2001, he became European champion. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Serbia won bronze, including a victory over Germany in the small final—the very country Pešić had guided to the 1993 European title. At club level, he secured four German championships with Alba Berlin and one with Bayern München.
“I'm glad the club believes I can help in such a situation,” Pešić said. Sports director Dragan Tarlac praised the swift solution: “He knows what the team needs now and identifies with the club.” President Herbert Hainer is convinced: “We are firmly convinced that he can help us immediately.”
The change came after an 83:55 win against Telekom Baskets Bonn, the first game without Herbert. The Canadian had led Germany's national team to the 2023 world championship, but in the 2024/25 Euroleague season, the team around stars like Andreas Obst and Johannes Voigtmann managed only five wins out of 17, placing near the bottom. Notably, Marko Pešić, the coach's son, will step down as managing director at the end of the year.
