The BR Volleys, Germany’s reigning men’s volleyball champions, are turning heads with a spectacular move to bring back a superstar. Ten years after leaving the capital, libero Erik Shoji is returning to Berlin, now as a two-time Champions League winner and a three-time Olympian. The 36-year-old American aims to showcase his best form in the run-up to the upcoming Olympic Games in his home country.
Niroomand: Shoji’s Career Is “Absolutely Impressive”
Shoji joined Berlin in 2014, moving from Hypo Tirol Innsbruck, and quickly surged to the top tier of the volleyball world. “What Erik has accomplished in his career is absolutely impressive. He’s played at the highest level for many years and isn’t finished yet,” said BR Volleys managing director Kaweh Niroomand in a club statement. “We expect him to bring both stability and a breath of fresh energy. With his positivity and emotionality, he could become a true leader on and off the court.”
After Shoji’s international breakthrough in the Volleys jersey, a move across Europe’s top leagues seemed like the natural next step for the Hawaiian. He later played in Russia and Italy, but his most successful stint came in Poland with ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. There, the Stanford graduate claimed the Polish league title in 2022 and won the Champions League twice in succession (2022, 2023). Concurrently, Shoji has been a central figure for the U.S. national team for a decade, earning two Olympic bronze medals in 2016 and 2024.
Shoji Came Out as Queer Last Year
Last year, Shoji made headlines as one of the few professional athletes to publicly come out as queer in a widely viewed video. At the same time, Kawika Shoji, his brother and a former Berlin teammate, has become one of the sport’s biggest influencers. He boasts 1.3 million followers on TikTok, 320,000 on Instagram, and 190,000 on YouTube.
