analysis
At the start of the European Basketball Championships, head coach Alex Mumbrú was unwell – at the end of an extraordinary tournament, Germany won the title.
For Alex Mumbrú it is a final act of strength – but a very beautiful one. The tall, thin head coach walks to the award ceremony alongside his representative at this European Championship, Alan Ibrahimagic. Confetti rain, anthemic music, ecstatic players. With a quiet smile, Mumbrú accepts the gold medal and presents the golden cup. Around him are his wife, his children and his team.
The confetti has barely been cleared away when Mumbrú is already on her way to her Spanish homeland. “I would have liked to celebrate with you”the coach regrets missing the night of partying in Riga. Instead, he goes to the hospital and has an operation. He has now lost almost 20 kilograms. After six weeks in the clinic and three more at home, the pancreatitis was finally overcome.
Wishes for recovery via video
Almost two weeks before the confetti shower, Alex Mumbrú’s ignoring initial complaints and putting his job above his health took dramatic revenge. After arriving in Tampere, Finland, the head coach writhed in pain on the floor of his hotel room. Team doctor Oliver Pütz has to call the emergency doctor and the ambulance. “I’ve never experienced anything like this at a tournament before”says the experienced doctor.
Mumbrú needs hospital treatment, but will remain in Tampere in close proximity to his team. And the players thank him: Franz Wagner and Co. immediately send well wishes via video. Captain Dennis Schröder regularly calls the coach. Of course, Alan Ibrahimagic also does this, who suddenly rises from assistant to boss on the sidelines and immediately has the trust of the players. “Alan is doing really well”says NBA star Franz Wagner after one of the Germans’ many dominant preliminary round victories in Tampere.
Rumors of replacement
Alan Ibrahimagic, born in Belgrade and raised in Berlin, is a successful and respected young coach in the German Basketball Association. He knows most of the professionals from his youth. However, he doesn’t like being the center of media attention.
Now not only does one interview follow another, but the 47-year-old has to coach a basketball philosophy that is not his. “As coaches, we also worked with Alex in the team before. That’s fine. The main thing is that the coach gets well again quickly.”Ibrahimagic repeats regularly.
Mumbrú actually recovers, flies to the final round in Riga and stays with the team in the hotel. He tries for a half in the round of 16, but doesn’t have enough energy to stand on the sidelines and coach the team during games. Rumors are doing the rounds in Spain that Mumbrú would be replaced as national coach by Ibrahimagic, who is currently filling in so well for the head coach.
Cohesion and the will to win
And the players react again – quickly and consistently: With Maodo Lo at the helm, the entire German national team stands behind the two coaches at the regular press round, which was actually only supposed to take place with Mumbrú and Ibrahimagic. Following the trainer statements, Maodo Lo speaks: “Alex is and will remain our head coach. We play his style of basketball. The fact that he’s not really fit at the moment doesn’t change that.”
This emotional moment shows what makes this ensemble – world champions in 2023 and team of the year in 2023 and 2025 – so special: empathy, solidarity, cohesion, an eye for what is important and an irrepressible will to win. So they first throw themselves against the Slovenians around superstar Luca Doncic, wrestle down the Finnish surprise team in the semi-finals and defeat the extremely strong Turks in a dramatic finale.
“We fought for this for our coach”says Dennis Schröder, who, after the final siren, jumps for joy with his shoulder to Alex Mumbrú’s chest so energetically that it begins to wobble, distorted by pain. “I completely forgot that he wasn’t feeling well.”Schröder is initially shocked. But Mumbrú recovers quickly and can finally begin his final show of strength.