basketball
NBA professional Franz Wagner: “Goosebumps” when returning to Berlin
Germany’s Franz Wagner cheers after a successful shot. photo
© Soeren Stache/dpa
When he returns to Berlin, Moritz Wagner becomes the best German basketball player in the game against Canada. The NBA professional experiences an emotional evening.
For national basketball player Franz Wagner, it was a return to his hometown Berlin particularly emotional. “It was very, very cool. I had goosebumps a few times when I walked out here,” said the 21-year-old NBA professional after the 86-81 win against Canada.
In the second test match, it was the second win for the German national team this summer. The former professional from Alba Berlin played together with his brother Moritz for the first time in his home country and was also the best thrower of the encounter in the World Cup preparation with 18 points.
“Win was only secondary”
“The win was secondary at first,” said the versatile young star of the Orlando Magic from the strongest basketball league in the world. “We played relatively well, it looked really good in the first half. The second was very instructive for us.” Appearing in front of friends and family was special for him and Moritz, five years his senior. “For Moritz it was the first game back here, so it was very cool for him too.”
In addition, the father of the two Wagners also had a birthday on Wednesday. “We’ll definitely celebrate dad a bit more,” said Wagner before he disappeared from the hall at the capital’s Ostbahnhof.