Manila – Germany’s basketball players are sensationally in the World Cup final for the first time after a semi-final coup over Olympic champions USA. On Sunday (2:40 p.m./Magentasport and ZDF) the biggest triumph in German basketball history is possible in the final in Manila against Serbia. Further milestones of the past decades at a glance:
European Championship title in Munich
30 years ago, the national team celebrated its greatest success to date: the European Championship title in front of its own audience in Munich. Head coach Svetislav Pesic’s team could even afford three defeats on the way to gold. The victories in the semifinals against Greece (76:73) and Russia (71:70) turned into basketball thrillers. Chris Welp was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Welp died in 2015 at the age of 51. Pesic is Serbia’s opponent in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Nowitzki’s NBA coronation
After many failed attempts, Dirk Nowitzki led his Dallas Mavericks to their first championship in the North American professional league NBA in 2011. The 4-2 victory in the final over the favorites Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, is the highlight of Nowitzki’s career. The German is voted the most valuable player in the final series and has a street and a statue dedicated to him in Dallas after his career ends.
Bronze at the home European Championships
With the new generation around captain Dennis Schröder and young star Franz Wagner, the basketball players wanted to build on their old successes at the home European Championships last year. Schröder played an outstanding final round in Cologne and Berlin, and after victories over France, Lithuania and Greece, coach Gordon Herbert’s team took the bronze medal. Spain became European champions and fought back brilliantly against the hosts in the semi-finals.
Two medals with Nowitzki
The 2002 World Cup and the 2005 European Championships each became a one-man show for the outstanding Nowitzki, who shaped international basketball in these years. In both the USA in 2002 and in what was then Serbia-Montenegro in 2005, the Würzburg native was the tournament’s most valuable player and best points collector. The reward: World Cup bronze and European Championship silver. There was no major title in the national jersey in the Nowitzki era.
2023-09-08 14:45:00
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