Even among his loved ones, exceptional basketball talent Franz Wagner has a special status. “He has built a niche for himself in our family. All three of us are loud. He looked at it and thought, now I’ll be a little quieter and think before I talk,” said brother Moritz Wagner about himself, his mother Beate and his father Axel.
As calm and reserved as 22-year-old Franz Wagner appears, Germany’s national team will need a sporting outburst from him in the World Cup semi-final against the USA on Friday (2:40 p.m.).
“Franz is one of the elite players at Fiba level,” said national coach Gordon Herbert, who is expected to return his young star to the starting line-up in Manila after recovering from an ankle injury. For the two Wagner brothers, who play together in the NBA for the Orlando Magic, the duel with the Olympic champion will be a reunion with many acquaintances. Especially with teammate Paolo Banchero, who also plays for the Magic and knows the Wagners very well.
US star Banchero praises Wagner brothers
“We have a great relationship. Especially with Franz, as the two younger ones in the team. It clicked for us straight away. And then Mo, his big brother, who is now also like my big brother,” said Banchero about the relationship the brothers from Berlin.
While the younger Wagner brother is mainly praised for his athletic talent, Moritz Wagner (26) is seen on the field as a worker with a lot of energy under the basket – and off the floor as a goofball who is good for the team structure.
“Afterwards, when we leave the hall, he says so many sayings and jokes,” described Banchero. After the thrilling 81:79 win in the quarterfinals against Latvia, Moritz Wagner once again seemed detached. He answered various journalists’ questions in the interview zone by saying that he “didn’t give a shit” because Germany was in the World Cup semi-finals.
As the team drove home, Wagner DJed on the bus and seemed to enjoy the music himself the most. Head coach Herbert is enthusiastic about the brothers and called them “great guys, great people and not all that bad basketball players” in the foyer of the gigantic team hotel in Manila.