The German national basketball team has had tremendous success in the past couple of years. They won the FIBA World Cup last year, and have now reached the semi-finals in the Olympics. They’re favored to beat France and advance to the gold medal game.
One of the best players on the team, Franz Wagner, was recently vocal about the foundation the German team’s momentum was built on. It won’t come as a surprise to Dallas Mavericks fans that Wagner credits Dirk Nowitzki with establishing a culture of winning in Germany.
“I think I was seven when Dirk played in the Olympics and I think we’ve come a long way, and that’s because of guys like him,” Wagner told BasketNews after defeating Greece in the quarter finals. “It’s up to us to keep that going forward and also to know who came before us and why we’re here.”
Nowitzki looms large over German basketball. The Mavericks superstar from Würzburg played as much as possible with his home country’s national team. Nowitzki desperately wanted to lead Germany to a gold medal in the Olympics, which unfortunately never came to fruition. But all his time playing for the national team has influenced the players who have come after him, and it’s showing up with the success they’re having in international play.
Always humble, Nowitzki would certainly credit Detlef Schrempf with laying the groundwork for German basketball success. But at Nowitzki’s final home game in Dallas, Schrempf made his feelings clear.
“I wish you all the best in the future because what you meant to basketball, not just in the U.S., but in Germany and globally, it’s been amazing,” Schrempf said, holding a mic at halfcourt. “It’s been a pleasure to watch, and I’m glad you came along when I was finishing because we needed you in Germany. What people don’t know here is [you’ve] done amazing things for not just European basketball, but basketball in Germany.”
You could fill pages and pages with praise from fellow German basketball players about Nowitzki. He’ll forever loom large over the German national program, and all their future success will have his fingerprints all over it. For now, Wagner and the rest of the German team know there’s still more to accomplish.
“I think everybody on the team knows that we have a special group, and we want to get the most out of this,” Wagner said. “I think that’s motivation enough. I think last year was special, but we’re trying to continue that and, hopefully, keep the momentum going forward.”