Mental problems: Niners captain Richter ends his career

Bundesliga basketball club Niners Chemnitz has unexpectedly lost its captain Jonas Richter. According to the club, the professional is ending his career at the age of just 28 and after 390 competitive games for the Saxons. In a video on the Chemnitz club's YouTube channel, the basketball player said that mental problems had led to this decision.

Richter had one year left on his contract with the Niners, the only club the Chemnitz native has played for. He was promoted to the Bundesliga with them and won the European Cup in 2024.

Richter: Psychological help didn't help

"I've noticed for some time that I've sometimes had problems motivating myself to play well at this level - and as is expected of me," Richter said in an interview with the "Freie Presse" and emphasized: "I also got help from sports psychologists last season and talked a lot with friends and family. But the psychological help didn't help. And all the people who know me better are not surprised by my decision. They support me. Because they've said that I've recently become more and more withdrawn, more and more serious."