Maximilian Kuhle (184-PG-1991) is a former professional baskektball player that now is a personal and mental trainer. He celebrated a 10 + year pro career that took him to many different places in Germany. He also played a season in Spain. In Germany he played with ASC 46 Goettingen, BG Goettingen, Cuxhaven, Nurnberg, Paderborn, Basketball Lowen Erfurt and for Rot-Weiss Cuxhaven. He played more than a 100 Pro A games. He spoke to Germanhoops.com about his career.

Thanks Maxi for talking to germanhoops.com. You retired at 30 and then came back to play in Spain, but overall retired at a young age. Looking back now did you retire at the right age or could you have played longer?

Looking back now I think I retired at the right age, but the transition from player to retirement was a long road. Now I am happy with the way it went and I am very thankful for the years I had as a player.

Let´s go back to the beginning. You began with the Hardegsen Baskets. What got you in love with basketball when you were young?

I fell in love with the game when I saw Allen Iverson play in the 2001 playoffs. I loved everything about basketball early on – the culture, the vibe and the whole lifestyle around it.

Who were your early basketball inspirations? Did you try to model your game after them?

Besides Allen Iverson, the And1 Mixtapes were a big inspiration for me and I tried all their moves every day in my backyard. I learned a lot of moves from their videos. Another big inspiration was a guy who was five years older than me in my town and already played at a good level. I got lucky because he taught me a lot of fundamentals from an early age. We are still friends to this day.

You then moved to ASC Goettingen and was teammates with a young Vitalis Chikoko. What memories do you have of this time still being fairly young and playing against men in the Regionalliga?

I had a great coach at ASC Goettingen, Marjo Heinemann. He gave me a lot of minutes early on and allowed me to play through mistakes. I never got the chance to play with Vitalis Chikoko – our paths just missed each other – but I heard great things about his talent early on.

The next season you also practiced with BG Goettingen and played 1 Eurocup game. How challenging was it practicing with BBL players?

It was very challenging but also exciting to be part of that team and to experience such a high level early on as a young player. Everything was new to me and in every practice there were things I had never heard of before.

You couldn´t have had 2 better point guards with Kyle Bailey and John Little. What do you remember soaking up most from each?

I remember being in awe of John Little’s physicality on defense. As an 18-19-year-old player, I had never experienced such intensity in on-ball defense. It was very impressive. With Kyle Bailey, I remember his amazing floater and I tried to copy that move after I saw how efficient he was with it.

How challenging was it to play for John Patrick? Was he the most demanding coach that you ever had?

It was like being thrown into the cold ocean very early in my career. Two or three years before, I was still playing at a very small club in Hardegsen and a short time later I was on the practice floor with one of the best coaches in Europe. He was definitely the most demanding coach I experienced in my career.

You then played 2 seasons with Cuxhaven and in 2013-2014 had your Pro A break out season averaging 9.4ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 89.3%. In your first game that season you had a 36 point explosion in Paderborn. What memories do you have of that game? Was that your best game as a pro?

The game in Paderborn was a great one to remember for me, especially since we also got the win that day. I remember Will Barnes on the other team had 40+ points that night as well, so it was a great back-and-forth battle.

In the 2014-2015 season you played with rent4office Nuernberg (ProA) playing 27 games averaging 3.4ppg, How tough was it coming from a breakthrough season in Cuxhaven to having a less of a role in Nurnberg?

The transition wasn’t easy, but we had a very successful season as a team and got a lot of wins. It was great being part of a winning culture, even though my role and minutes were limited.

You had 2 great guards with Braydon Hobbs and Josh Young. How much of an impact did they both have on you?

Those two players were amazing to watch every day in practice. Braydon Hobbs made passes that I had never seen before and Josh Young was the ultimate professional and a pure scorer. I was very lucky to have had the chance to play with these great players.

You then played 2 seasons with the Uni Baskets Paderborn (ProA) averaging 7.0ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 40.9%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 93.5% and 10.3ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.7apg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 83.0%. Were these your 2 strongest seasons in the Pro A in terms of your game?

I had great trust from Coach Uli Nächster in Paderborn during my two seasons and that built up my confidence big time. I felt like I really became a better player there and learned a lot of new things on the court. Also, the teammates I had in Paderborn were great and that helped a lot.

I can imagine you didn´t forget your 23/11 game in the exciting 93-92 win over Trier. Was that your fondest moment with Paderborn?

I remember it being a very important win in an overtime game, but the double-overtime win in Dresden in my first season (2016/2017) with Paderborn is also a great memory.

After that last strong season in Paderborn, you took a step back to the Pro B with Erfurt. Why did you take a step back?

After my year in Paderborn, I had a tough summer personally and went through an up-and-down phase mentally because I did not get the offers I would have liked. I made some mistakes and wrong decisions, but looking back, signing with Erfurt was a blessing since I fell in love with the city and it became home. My son was born here and I feel very comfortable in Erfurt.

You averaged 15.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 44.7%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 80.0% and PPG-5 (19.1), 2.9rpg, 3.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 84.2%. How thankful were you being able to play for German head coach Florian Gut? You were one of the top German point guards in the Pro B.

Coach Florian Gut gave me a lot of confidence and I was very lucky to have the green light to shoot. Teammates like David Taylor, Oliver Pahnke and Robert Franklin also made the game easier for me.

You had many great games with the Lowen including a 36 point game against the RheinStars. What was your fondest moment with them?

A great memory was reaching the playoffs in our first year as a total newcomer and underdog. We lost in the first round against Münster, but we were very happy with the outcome of our season in the league.

After 2 great seasons in Erfurt, it seemed like your career ended at 29? You went to Cuxhaven and played 1 game. Did injuries get the best of you?

This was the COVID year and the lockdown gave me the chance to reflect on my career, and my decision to stop playing professionally became clearer. The manager of Cuxhaven called me back then to help the team and I played one game before the season was cancelled in the 1st Regionalliga. I was lucky not to have any serious injuries.

You played one last season in 2023-2024 with Autocares Rodriguez Daimiel (Spain-EBA) averaging 11.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 48.9%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 69.0%. What kind of an experience was Spain in the fourth league?

It was an important season for me personally to experience basketball again in another country. I have great memories from that year and met some amazing people. I also got the chance to play with the Cuban legend Georvys Elías and he was still an amazing player even though he was older at the time.

Now you’re a personal trainer and mental trainer. Talk a little how a day is in your life with this profession?

I am very lucky to have found something that I love to do. It feels good to use my experience from pro basketball to help people reach their personal goals. Every day is different and every coaching session is different depending on the clients’ personalities, situations and goals.

What is the most challenging thing in this job when trying to help people with fitness, skills and the mental side?

You have to be on point every day and bring a lot of energy. A common question for coaches is: who coaches the coach? But it’s a profession where you feel growth every day – within yourself and together with your clients – and that’s a great feeling.

What other dreams do you still have in your life? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I don’t have big material goals. I wish to have a big, happy and healthy family and live a slow life surrounded by nature and peace.

Who was the toughest player that you ever faced in your career that reached the NBA or Euroleague?

As a young player I faced Dennis Schröder several times and he destroyed us. As a pro it was amazing trying to battle Braydon Hobbs in practice – he was so calm and collected no matter what I did.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Selim Mulic, Marques Oliver, Morgan Grim, Robert Franklin, Chase Adams

Please name your personal NBA and German mount Rushmore with your 5 best of all-time?

NBA: Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaq

German: Dennis Schröder, Heiko Schaffartzik, Franz Wagner, Dirk Nowitzki, Daniel Theis

Who is your GOAT?

Kobe Bryant is my personal goat.

Thanks Maxi for the chat.