Franz Wagner cannot avoid the eternal comparisons with basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki. After the historic World Cup in Asia, the young star of the Orlando Magic was now able to do something that Nowitzki was never able to do in his 21 glorious years in the NBA: let his teammates in the USA celebrate him as world champion with a typical German meal.
“We had potato pancakes, schnitzel, cheese spaetzle, red cabbage. There was quite a lot,” said Franz Wagner about the meal organized by the Orlando Magic, which celebrated “very classic German cuisine”.
Wagner follows in Nowitzki’s footsteps in many ways, but goes his own way in Florida, which is wonderful even in the winter months. The Berlin native is playing his third season with the Magic alongside his brother and roommate Moritz. The older brother Moritz is one of his biggest fans.
“Proud? I don’t care at all. That’s my little brother, I would love him either way. I really enjoy watching him,” said Moritz about Franz. At the World Cup they wore their first names on their jerseys – and sensationally made Germany world champions for the first time.
A haven of peace for the family
The Wagners didn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate their success when they returned to Orlando. They appeared together in World Cup shirts and greeted – somewhat provocatively – Paolo Banchero, who had to admit defeat to the USA in a thrilling World Cup semi-final in Manila. “It was cool. I think the boys were happy for us. That was cool to see,” described Franz Wagner.
The 22-year-old appears calm and often speaks quietly; in a lively family with parents Axel and Beate, who have known each other since the World Cup, he is considered a haven of calm. “He has built a niche for himself in our family. He looked at it and thought, now I’ll be a little calmer and think before I talk,” said Moritz Wagner about his brother, who is four years younger. The duo is not only part of a family, but is also friends and gives interviews together. The ratio is right.
After two years with numerous defeats, the Magic look competitive for the first time this season. Victories like the impressive 112:97 over former champions Milwaukee Bucks with star player Giannis Antetokounmpo are therefore no coincidence. Led by the young stars Wagner and Banchero, the first playoff entry since 2020 is possible. And then also the first knockout series win since 2010 – Franz Wagner was a primary school student at the time.
“He can achieve Nowitzki’s status”
Nowitzki also ended up in Dallas at a troubled club, which he first led out of obscurity, then into the playoffs and again a few years later to its first championship. That’s still a long way off for Wagner, but individual comparisons are made again and again.
National coach Gordon Herbert once said about the super talent: “As a player he is better than I thought. He can reach the status of Dirk Nowitzki. He even has a killer instinct that Dirk probably didn’t have at this age.” That was before the World Cup sensation including the gold crown.
A multi-part documentary film is currently being made about the Wagner brothers. The filming locations could hardly be more exciting: at the World Cup in Okinawa, Japan and in Manila, at the NBA across the USA and at the Olympics in Paris in the summer of 2024. World champion captain Dennis Schröder makes no secret of who he sees as his successor in the national team in the medium term. “In the next few years he will be the face of the NBA, but also the national team,” said Schröder about Franz Wagner.