The German basketball professional Franz Wagner is currently inspiring the NBA and making headlines. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports, the 23-year-old scored 32 points in his Orlando Magic’s 109:99 win against the Phoenix Suns and was thus instrumental in their sixth win in a row. In addition to his points, Wagner also shone with eight assists and five rebounds. For his performance the previous week, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. The FAZ quotes Wagner’s teammate Goga Bitadse as saying: “It’s very simple, Franz hits the important things.” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley was also impressed and spoke of “all-star level”. Wagner himself was happy about the award, but emphasized the success of the entire team: “It’s not about one player, it takes all five.” Wagner’s achievements are all the more remarkable as the Orlando Magic continue to have to do without their injured top star Paolo Banchero. As Der Spiegel reports, Wagner had already scored 31 points in the 98:86 win against the Philadelphia 76ers, almost reaching his season record. In this game too, he contributed significantly to the success with eleven rebounds. In addition to Franz Wagner, his brother Moritz also impressed with 14 points and German rookie Tristan da Silva with six points. Der Spiegel quotes Moritz Wagner as saying: “I’m not even surprised anymore. That’s the more impressive part, I kind of assume he will.” Franz Wagner’s rise in the NBA is impressive. He already caused a sensation during his college days at the University of Michigan, as Spiegel reported in an article from 2017. At that time, he led his team with strong performances in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 26 points in a win against Louisville in the second round. Even back then there was speculation about a move to the NBA. Der Spiegel quotes Wagner’s then youth coach Konstantin Lwowsky: “I would be surprised if he didn’t do it. When this door opens, he will go through it.” Franz Wagner also impressed at the 2021 European Basketball Championships and was highlighted by stern.de as one of the NBA superstars fighting for the title. Stern.de quotes Dirk Nowitzki, who was impressed by Wagner’s versatility and athleticism: “He can do everything with the ball. There is no hole in his game.” While his brother Moritz was missing due to injury, Franz Wagner was supposed to lead the German team’s offense. Wagner’s current performances confirm the high expectations that were placed on him early on. As Die Welt reports, he equaled his career high of 38 points in the 111:99 win against the Detroit Pistons. Die Welt quotes Wagner’s coach Jamahl Mosley: “Franz was incredible. He scored 38 points without shooting a free throw. That’s impressive. This is the highest level.” Pistons coach Monty Williams also praised Wagner: “Because of his size alone, he is a very efficient role player and has a good feeling.” sport1.de also reported on Moritz Wagner’s successes in college basketball, especially his Performance in the 2018 March Madness Finals. He led the Michigan Wolverines to victory with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Sport1.de quotes coach John Beilein: “He’s a special boy. I’ve been coaching him for a long time. But Moe belongs to a small group of special players.” Dirk Nowitzki also commented on Wagner’s performance on Twitter. Sources: – https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/mehr-sport/basketball-profi-franz-wagner-sorge-in-nba-fuer-begeisterung-allstar-level-110120175.html – https://www.spiegel.de/sport/basketball/nba-orlando-magic-deutsches-trio-um-franz-wagner-glaenzt-bei-fuenftem-sieg-in-funktion-a-063ea52d-1c8d-48d5- ab61-3543d51d4216 – https://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/basketball-moritz-wagner-sorge-im-ncaa-tournament-fuer-furore-a-1139853.html – https://www.stern.de/sport/ sportwelt/basketball-em–these-superstars-of-the-nba-are-fighting-for-the-title_32679066-32678706.html – https://www.sport1.de/news/us-sport/college-basketball/2018/04/march-madness-moritz-wagner-begeistert-mit-seiner-leistung-ganz-america – https://www.welt.de/sport/basketball/article249912244/Rekord-in-der-NBA- Selbst-der-gegnerisch-Trainer-schwaermt-von-Franz-Wagner.html – https://www.watson.de/sport/olympia-2024/893270809-olympia-2024-moritz-wagner-schockt-mit-too-small-geste-gegen-griechenland – https://live.vodafone.de/sport/news/nba-zweiter-sieg-in-serie-fuer-wagner-brueder-und-orlando/12901933
