At just 17 years old, Rosalie Esser is already a name to remember in German basketball. A rising talent for Alba Berlin and a silver medalist with Germany at the under 18 European Championship (Division B), she embodies the energy and ambition of a new wave of women’s basketball players who are shaping the sport’s future.

A journey that started with family

Basketball first entered her life thanks to her older brother. “He started playing when he was younger, and then we had like a kind of try-out. Alba came up to me and my sister and asked if we wanted to join. I think we started playing around eight years old, and now we’re still playing.”

From those first steps, it was not about performance but about joy. She still remembers those early days fondly, when the coaches focused only on fun. “At the start the coaches were just trying to make sure you had fun. I just loved to run up and down the court with a basketball, shoot it, and enjoy myself. Later it got harder, coaches started demanding more, but I think it’s just amazing. You can basically practice three to four hours a day and do what you love.”

That love for the game has never faded. “It’s the feeling you get when you touch the ball. Like everything around you goes silent, and you can just do what you love. It’s incredible.”

Although her brother was the first person she looked up to, today Rosalie finds her inspiration in Germany’s brightest stars. “Like for a long time, I looked up to my brother; we were playing outside when we were younger often. And now, like Leonie Fiebich, I think she’s just doing a great job in the WNBA. I really, really love her playing style. It’s overall fantastic.”

Rising with Alba Berlin

Alba Berlin has been her basketball home since day one. “I’ve been playing there for eight to nine years now, so yeah, from the beginning.”

Now she has reached the highest level. “Right now I’m playing for Alba in the first division. It’s great to finally have made it to the top of the club.”

That step up is a dream realized, but also a challenge. The senior level is a whole new world. “It’s crazy, like the physicality is so different. And of course everything around it, you always have a physio, you have a doctor at the games. I remember first time stepping on the court, or even just doing the warm-up. It was crazy with the crowd. It’s a new chapter.”

Rosalie doesn’t take this lightly. “I hope to develop because I don’t have to be the top player in this team. I can just learn from the others, they’re so experienced. I just hope to have as much playing time as possible to get better every day. I’m working on it.”

Unforgettable memories

One of her most cherished moments came in 2022. “When we won the women’s Bundesliga Championship, it was my very first year. I was playing with girls three years older, under 16 in my first year. The trust the coaches gave me was amazing. And then the final in the top four, we won in Berlin, in front of our home crowd. It was amazing.”

She can still recall the emotions of that day vividly. “I was pretty nervous, because it was the first time really playing in front of so many people. Even players from the women’s team were supporting us. At first, you hear everything; the drums, the people screaming, but then it all goes silent, you block it out and just play. It was amazing.”

Wearing Germany’s colors

Rosalie has already represented Germany at youth level, first with the U16s and most recently with the under 18s. “You’re stepping on the court and realizing, okay, I can represent Germany. You really want to show people you deserve to be here and give something back to the country. It gives you so many memories and things to learn from.”

This past summer, she and her teammates secured silver at the under 18 European Championship in Division B, earning promotion to Division A. It was a bittersweet moment. “I’m honestly pretty sad about the silver. We can still be proud, but I wanted gold. Everyone wants it. But we got back to Division A, that was the main goal. I take silver as well.”

The tournament left her with strong impressions of the rhythm of elite competition. “You go into the gym for practice, you have set times, you really have to be on point, use the time wisely, then you go out and play against the top players from other countries. It feels different, but it’s something unbelievable and indescribable.”

The wave of change in German basketball

Rosalie is part of a generation witnessing, the rise of women’s basketball in Germany. “You can already feel like there’s a wave of change in basketball in Germany. You get more respect, more people watching games, especially with Alba. It’s still not equal, but you can feel respect is coming too.”

The recent triumphs of the German women’s national team inspire her. “It’s crazy. I didn’t expect them to be this good. Years ago, you were like ‘oh just playing against Germany,’, but now you’re like ‘oh no , we have to play against Germany’. It’s nice that the girls had this impact and earned their spot.”

She remembers watching Germany’s 3x3 Olympic gold as well. “We were at the U18 European Championship that year, watching in the room. We couldn’t believe it; they actually won gold. Crazy for the whole country. I think that was also a point where something switched, where many people realized, okay, there’s something called basketball, let’s watch it.”

Looking ahead