Alba Berlin have strengthened their frontcourt for the final stretch of the season: after four years playing college basketball in the United States, Michael Rataj moves to the German capital. The 22-year-old has signed a deal with the Albatrosses until the end of the current season. The German big man, standing at 2.04 meters, most recently played for Baylor University in the NCAA.
Himar Ojeda (ALBA Sporting Director): “Following the departure of Martynas Echodas, we were looking for a new player and immediately focused on young German talents who had completed their college careers. Michael is a player with an interesting profile and great potential. We want to give him the opportunity to prove himself in the BBL with us.”
Michael Rataj (Power Forward/Center): “Playing for a big club like ALBA is something special and I’m incredibly excited about this next step. I will do everything I can to help the club succeed and get the most out of this experience. I had a great time in the United States in college, but now I’m looking forward to returning to Germany. Berlin is a special city and I can’t wait to arrive and get started, to see my friends again, and to introduce Germany to my girlfriend. And to be honest, I’m also really looking forward to eating a Berlin currywurst.”
Michael-Ken Rataj was born on October 12, 2003, in Augsburg. He began his basketball career with TSV Haunstetten and TSV Schwaben Augsburg before joining Bayern Munich’s youth program in 2018. There, he played in the NBBL (Under-19 Bundesliga) and for the second team in the ProB.
In the summer of 2021, Rataj joined ratiopharm Ulm and shortly after made his BBL debut under head coach Jaka Lakovič. He also gained international experience in the EuroCup while playing for OrangeAcademy in the ProB League. After one season in Ulm, Rataj decided to pursue a college basketball program in the United States.
In the 2022–23 season, the big man moved to Oregon State University, where he quickly established himself with the Beavers. In the 2024–25 season, Rataj was his team’s leading scorer with an average of 16.9 points per game. In 2025, he transferred to the more prestigious Baylor University for his fourth and final year of college basketball.
Rataj has already made several appearances for the German national team: in 2021 he played for the Under-18 team. At the 2023 Under-20 European Championship, he and his team finished sixth, and with an average of 11.6 points per game, he was Germany’s second-leading scorer in the tournament. In 2025, he also helped Germany’s A2 team to a fourth-place finish at the Summer Universiade in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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