Almost ten weeks after the triumph in Manila, the basketball world champions received the Bambi in the sports category on Thursday evening. At the ceremony in the Bavaria Film Studios Munich, national coach Gordon Herbert accepted the media award, and national team captain Dennis Schröder sent a video message.
“Unfortunately I can’t be there. But Gordon Herbert is starting,” said the NBA professional from the Toronto Raptors, who reported from Canada and, like Herbert, was holding a golden deer in his hand. “It’s a huge honor for us to win the Bambi.” Schröder thanked everyone for the great support at the tournament: “We felt the euphoria in Manila and Okinawa.”
Bastian Schweinsteiger, 2014 soccer world champion, and his wife Ana Ivanovic, former tennis world number one, presented the prize to Herbert. The team had proven what was possible “when a group of individuals performed as a team,” emphasized the Canadian.
“With incredible energy, with a passion for the game and the will to fight, but also through fair play and with a very special team spirit, the German men’s national basketball team has conquered the hearts of people all over the world,” the jury said in its statement: ” Basketball is suddenly becoming a popular sport again and is experiencing a renaissance like in Dirk Nowitzki’s heyday.”
After a four-year break, the 75th anniversary media prize was again awarded by Hubert Burda Media. According to Burda, the Bambi has “honored personalities since 1948 who have a particular impact on Germany, achieve outstanding achievements and are role models for the people in Germany.”