The North American basketball league NBA is just around the corner and there are stars from all over the world in the middle of it. Germany is also represented by eight professionals in the USA.
(31/Brooklyn Nets)
The captain of the DBB selection has been the face of German basketball in the NBA in recent years. The 31-year-old is now in his twelfth season in the US professional league. The playmaker will get a lot of playing time with the Nets, but there are probably no prospects of making the play-offs with the rather weak team. His salary is around $13 million.
(26/Oklahoma City Thunder)
If you are looking for the German NBA star of the future, Hartenstein is still flying a little under the radar, also because he was missing from the 2023 World Cup coup. But since his first NBA season in 2018, the power forward has made a name for himself during his numerous stops in Houston, Denver, Cleveland, Los Angeles and New York, so much so that the Oklahoma City Thunder now pays him $30 million annually.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren at his side, Hartenstein can have legitimate hopes for the title and his personal step out of the shadows. Bitter: Hartenstein missed the first few weeks of the season with a broken hand.
(23/Orlando Magic)
In contrast to Hartenstein, Wagner is the focus. Not least because of his new contract, which averages almost $45 million annually. Since this only starts next season, the 23-year-old will earn “only” seven million euros for the last time this season. Since his NBA arrival in 2021, the Berliner has continued to develop. If Wagner improves his recently weak three-point shooting rate, Orlando can even play a good role in the play-offs.
(27/Orlando Magic)
Franz’s older brother Moritz also played a crucial role in the Magic’s upswing as an effective power forward. The 27-year-old has significantly less playing time in the team than Franz, but he proved how important his role as a bench player can be during the 2023 World Cup triumph. Last season, Wagner scored the sixth-most points of any bench player in the NBA. His salary is $11 million.
(32/Dallas Mavericks)
Kleber and the Mavericks narrowly missed out on the title last year. After the final defeat against Boston, it should happen in 2025. In the shadow of superstars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, the 32-year-old’s defensive qualities will be in demand again in the new NBA season. Kleber, like Dallas legend Nowitzki from Würzburg, earns eleven million US dollars.
(32/New Orleans Pelicans)
Daniel Theis has been playing in the NBA since 2017. The New Orleans Pelicans are now his seventh stop. Last season, the 32-year-old was under contract with the LA Clippers and the Indiana Pacers. As a rotation player, Theis will receive $2 million in his one-year contract.
(23/Orlando Magic)
All good things come in threes: Since the draft in the summer, da Silva has been the third German in the Orlando Magic squad alongside the Wagner brothers. The German-Brazilian was drafted 18th overall and earned a salary of $3.6 million annually. The 23-year-old still has to find his exact role in the team.
(22/New York Knicks)
The German-Togolese was also drafted in the summer. He already made it clear with his shirt number what role Hukporti would like to fill in the future with the Knicks. The 22-year-old takes over the vacant 55 from Isaiah Hartenstein. But Hukporti is currently still a long way from a similar status; he remains a promise for the future.
