2023-08-07 20:19:19
The planning for the big day has been going on for some time, it has been organized and mobilized. “The family is definitely ready, the friends are invited,” says Franz Wagner, referring to the delayed Berlin premiere. On Wednesday evening (7:30 p.m./free of charge at MagentaSport), the 21-year-old and his older brother Moritz (26) will run side by side in the national basketball team in their hometown for the first time in the arena at Ostbahnhof – a highlight. For the family, but also for the fans of the two Berliners.
In Bonn, Moritz and Franz Wagner had their premiere in national jerseys
It’s been a good year since the German team won bronze at the European Championships in the capital, but Moritz Wagner was only a spectator at the time because of a foot injury. To have been there, but not in the middle, was an “interesting, emotional dichotomy”. There’s a World Cup coming up this summer and things are looking different. The Wagners are fit, last Saturday both played together against Sweden at the start of the preparations in Bonn, and in the jersey with the eagle did for the first time what is normal in everyday life.
The NBA professionals have been playing together at the Orlando Magic for two years. This summer, Moritz extended his expiring contract by two more years, which is how long Franz’s rookie contract runs anyway. Don’t worry that it could become too much at some point. “When you grow up, you eventually get tired of each other,” says Moritz Wagner, “but we also find very good ways of avoiding each other.” But the brothers are “actually very, very good friends. Luckily we managed that quite well.”
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Gordon Herbert can confirm that. “They both like each other, they both support each other,” says the national coach, the Canadian values them on and off the field: “They are very talented players and even better people.” In addition, the Wagner brothers are “very modest for NBA stars. Totally normal boys.” The tall basketball players are similar, have followed the same path from Alba Berlin to the US college team Michigan Wolverines in the NBA, but there are also differences. “He has built a niche for himself in our family,” Moritz jokes about Franz, “we are all three loud, and he looked at it and said, okay, I’d rather be a little quieter and think before I speak.”
In terms of sport, Franz copied a lot from Moritz. “When we grew up, I always imitated everything he did,” says the younger brother, both understand each other blindly. “When we’re on the court, we’re teammates who know each other extra well. It’s just fun with him.” Orlando is something of a stroke of luck for both Wagner brothers. When Moritz was drafted by Los Angeles in 25th place in the first round in 2018, it sounded like a fairy tale at first, suddenly being in a squad with LeBron James. But it was only after several weeks that he was on the floor for the first time in a game, completed a total of 40 of the 82 games of the season and had little part in them.
After just one year, the trade was made to Washington. In the American capital he was repeatedly slowed down by injuries and after almost two years he was transferred to the Chicago Bulls and a few hours later to the Boston Celtics. Again just a few days later, his contract there was terminated and Moritz signed on in Orlando for the remainder of the season. When he was then without a contract, some experts already saw his further NBA career in danger. But a few weeks after little brother Franz was drafted eighth by the Magic, Moritz Wagner also received a new working paper in Florida.
Orlando offers a lot of room for development for the Wagner brothers
A team of young talents has been put together there in recent years. For the two Berliners, this gives a lot of room for development and a lot of operational time. Franz, who is almost always in the starting five, and Moritz used them well for their personal development and made Orlando a play-off contender last season.
The national team should now benefit from this development again. And they have come up with something for the upcoming World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines (25 August to 10 September). Only their first names are emblazoned on the back of their shirts. “It looks a bit cooler and you can’t do it every day,” explains Franz Wagner.
On Wednesday, parents Beate and Axel can admire their children at the game against Canada in the arena at Ostbahnhof, where both brothers attended a game of their training club Alba against Rostock in April. “It’s also pretty cool for our parents in Berlin,” says Moritz Wagner: “We grew up there. It’s special.”
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