Wagner leads German basketball team to Olympic semifinals

"Got a new fan in me," was the comment from NBA legend Dwyane Wade as he shared a video of him hugging Germany's basketball star Franz Wagner. Wade, who is covering the Olympic Games as a TV pundit for US broadcaster NBC, added: "We've just seen something very special."

Wagner had once again delivered a standout performance, this time in the last group game at the Olympics. When the 22-year-old flew through the French zone shortly before the end of the third quarter and made a spectacular dunk against four opponents, most of the 27,000 spectators in Lille's converted football stadium were, once again, speechless.

"This guy has a big, bright future in front of him," Wade said of the Orlando Magic player to the BasketNews website. "So just the chance to sit there and watch the pros [like Wagner] do what they do best. ... It's incredible."

Wagner, who alongside Germany captain Dennis Schröder is one of his country's most important players, couldn't believe the praise from his idol. "That's crazy. Biggest DWade fan growing up," Wagner wrote on his Instagram page.

Gordon Herbert: 'An honor to coach him'

Wagner was a reliable scorer as Germany became world champions against the odds in 2023. He's continued his form in France. He scored 22 points against Japan in the opener, 17 against Brazil and was top scorer with Schröder against France with 26 points. The 2.08-meter guard was also his team's top scorer in the quarterfinal comeback win over Greece.

Despite consistently strong displays, Wagner is not someone who seeks the spotlight, unlike his brother Moritz, a teammate at club and international level. "Franz was always quite quiet, very different from his brother," recalled Marius Huth, who coached both Wagners in their youth at Alba Berlin, in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

German national coach Gordon Herbert also waxed lyrical about Germany's greatest basketball hope since Dirk Nowitzki. "It's an honor to coach him," said Herbert. Wagner has the complete package and "acts much older than he is." Part of that is how well Wagner has managed to stay grounded, off court at least.

Huge new contract for Wagner

Even after his stellar performance against France, Wagner was reluctant to talk about himself or his eye-catching dunk. For him, the focus is always on the team. So far, they've "improved from game to game," he said.

Such modesty is particularly remarkable, given Wagner has recently reached unprecedented financial heights for a German athlete. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Orlando Magic, which guarantees him the incredible sum of the equivalent of $224 million (€206 million).

In one fell swoop, the basketballer has become the undisputed king of German sport. "He can earn a billion dollars in his career, there's that much money in the league," said Schröder. "The guy is only 22 years old, but he's highly professional.

"Wagner was "almost ashamed after this mega-deal," said Schröder in an interview with the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel. "It was unpleasant for him. But he works so hard every day."

Germans in medal hunt

The star of the younger Wagner brother has been in the ascendancy for years. In 2021, the Berlin-born player followed Moritz to the NBA, where he quickly impressed and matured into a leading player for an ambitious Orlando squad at a young age. This was followed by European Championship bronze in his home city in 2022, the shock World Championship title last year and now the summer Olympics in Paris, where Germany are in the semifinals.

A win against France on Thursday would see them in the gold medal match, a loss would mean they fight for bronze against the loser of USA vs. Serbia.

"What Franz does as a player, to be so professional at the age of 22, to have his routine every day and deliver like that, is great for German basketball," added Schröder. "Franz is very, very special. We've never seen that before in Germany."

Many other experts predict Wagner will have a similarly successful career to that of former NBA champion Nowitzki. The man himself is also convinced.

"He throws very well for a big boy. He can read the game. He's faster than he looks," Nowitzki enthused before the Olympics. "We're going to have a lot of fun with him."

This article was originally written in German.