Wagner, Schröder and Co. there in the new season

It’s that time again: the new NBA season begins on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (German time). It starts with the game between defending champions Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks (1.30 a.m./ProSieben). This year’s season is a very special one for German fans. On the one hand, because basketball in Germany is booming more than it has in a long time after the 2023 World Cup title and fourth place at the Olympics this summer. On the other hand, because there are more Germans there than ever before. The majority of German stars have been firmly rooted in the North American league for years, but there is also a debutant this season. An overview.

The figurehead is natural Franz Wagner. In the summer, the small forward signed a five-year contract with the Orlando Magic that will bring him a total of at least $224 million (around €206 million). Wagner now earns more than 40 million euros per year – making the 23-year-old the highest-earning German athlete in one fell swoop. Ideally, his total salary could reportedly rise to as much as $270 million. “I am very happy for him. “It’s a nice contract, he absolutely deserves it,” ex-national coach Gordon Herbert said happily for Wagner, whose performances made him one of the most important players on his team last season. The XXL contract will only further increase the focus on Wagner (inter)nationally.

Three Germans at Orlando Magic

Brother is also standing next to Franz Moritz Wagner under contract with Orlando. Unlike Franz, Moritz will not take a leading position in the team, but he too could play an important role in the stated goal of reaching the play-offs. In addition to the Wagner brothers, who played a crucial role in winning the World Cup with the national team in 2023, the Munich native will also be there this year Tristan da Silva play for Magic. The 23-year-old power forward, who previously played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes, took part in this year’s NBA draft process and was selected by Orlando at position 18.

In addition to the Wagner brothers and da Silva, two other Germans play in the Eastern Conference. Dennis Schrödercaptain of the German national basketball team, has been playing for the Brooklyn Nets since February of this year. The New York-based team is already the seventh NBA stop for the point guard, who is small by basketball standards at 1.88 meters, and is not generally considered a play-off contender. However, Schröder doesn’t want to know anything about it: “If you don’t go to the playoffs, then you’re not competitive in my eyes. Of course you always want to achieve the big goal and the big goal is a championship,” said the 31-year-old from Braunschweig confidently.

A newcomer from Germany has significantly less experience than Schröder: he hopes to be equipped with a two-way contract Ariel Hukporti for his first appearances in the NBA. The 2.13 meter giant from Stralsund was selected 58th (and last) in the draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki’s former team then gave Hukporti to the New York Knicks, who now want to use Hukporti as a two-way player. The center, who came from the MHP giants Ludwigsburg, will probably play mainly for the Westchester Knicks farm team in the NBA G-League.

Kleber and Hartenstein have the best chances of winning the title

In Daniel Theis Another basketball world champion plays in the Western Conference for the New Orleans Pelicans. The 32-year-old center forward from Salzgitter signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans in the summer. Similar to Schröder, Theis is a real veteran, having played more than 400 NBA games for five different clubs so far. He was runner-up with the Boston Celtics two years ago, but a similar feat is unlikely to be achieved with the Pelicans.

In the spotlight once again Maxi glue. The center forward of the Dallas Mavericks made headlines in Germany in the 2023 World Cup year when he did not want to play for the later victorious national team due to difficulties with captain Dennis Schröder. With the Mavericks, Kleber has a good chance of making it into the play-offs again and playing for the title. Last season, the “Mavs” lost the NBA Finals in five games (4-1) against the Boston Celtics, who are once again considered the top favorites. Kleber played below his potential in the decisive games of the best-of-seven final series.

Probably the best chances for the title next to Kleber Isaiah Hartenstein calculate. After a strong season with the Knicks, the 26-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer that will pay him an impressive $87 million. However, the German-American suffered a fracture in his left hand in the preseason against the Denver Nuggets, which is expected to keep him out of action for another five to six weeks.

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