Moritz Wagner

Injury Notes: Strus, Bogdanovic, Wagners, Bouyea

January 6th, 2026 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers still aren’t close to having swingman Max Strus back in their lineup. Strus, who is coming off left foot surgery to repair a Jones fracture, recently underwent evaluation and imaging on that foot, and while that exam showed “positive progress,” more time is required for the fracture to fully heal, the team announced today (Twitter link).

According to the Cavs’ statement, Strus will continue doing rehab and conditioning work and is scheduled for a follow-up evaluation with the club’s medical staff and Dr. David Porter (who performed the surgery) within the next four weeks. A clearer timeline for Strus’ return could be established in the wake of that follow-up evaluation.

Strus was a key contributor last season for a 64-win Cavs team that has missed him in 2025/26. A healthy version of Strus would have slotted into the starting lineup in between the backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and the frontcourt pair of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. However, Cleveland has been forced to rotate players in and out of that lineup spot over the course of the season – while also dealing with injuries affecting other starters – in an effort to find the right fit.

Here are more injury updates from around the NBA:

It doesn’t sound like veteran guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will return from his left hamstring injury during the Clippers‘ upcoming three-game road trip. According to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link), Bogdanovic – who last played on December 26 – has been ruled out for the week. The Clippers are playing in New York on Wednesday, Brooklyn on Friday, and Detroit on Saturday before returning home.
Magic color commentator Jeff Turner said last Friday that Franz Wagner (high ankle sprain) and Moritz Wagner (ACL recovery) should both be back within a week, but the team hasn’t corroborated that report and the duo has yet to be upgraded on the injury report at all. Asked on Sunday about the status of the Wagner brothers, head coach Jamahl Mosley said there’s still no timeline for their respective returns, though he did add that they’re “responding to the treatments pretty well” (Twitter link via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel).
Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea, who has been playing a rotation role since late November, traveled with the club on its two-game road trip, but sat out on Monday in Houston while going through the concussion protocol and may not return on Wednesday in Memphis, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bouyea is already halfway to his limit of 42 active games and looks like a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to a standard deal before season’s end.

Magic Notes: Suggs, Wagner Bros., Black, Technicals

January 3rd, 2026 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

After sitting out five games in October and November following his return from left knee surgery, then missing seven contests in December due to a left hip contusion, Magic guard Jalen Suggs exited Friday’s loss in Chicago in the third quarter after just 20 minutes of action due to what the team initially called a right knee strain, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required).

The severity of the injury isn’t yet known. Head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters after the game that Suggs would be reevaluated when the Magic return home (Twitter link via Beede).

“He fights his tail (off) to get back with us, and then hopefully it’s not bad,” Mosley said of Suggs, who was playing in just his second game following his absence due to the hip injury.

Based on on/off-court data, Suggs has been Orlando’s most valuable player this season. His +10.1 net rating dwarfs the second-best mark on the team (Wendell Carter Jr.‘s +2.9), and the Magic have a -3.7 mark when he’s not on the floor. Suggs’ impact was evident again on Friday, as Orlando outscored Chicago by 15 points when he was playing but lost the game by seven.

Here’s more on the Magic:

While Orlando awaits an update on Suggs, there may be good news for the team on a couple other injury-related fronts. As Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily relays, local color commentator Jeff Turner of FanDuel Sports Network Florida said during the pregame broadcast that Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner should both be back within the next week (Twitter video link). Franz has been out with a high left ankle sprain since December 7, while Moritz is making way back from an ACL tear that he suffered in December of 2024.
Third-year Magic guard Anthony Black is in the midst of a breakout season, averaging career highs in points (15.5), rebounds (4.1), assists (3.6), and steals (1.3) per game. Since entering the starting lineup last month, he has averaged 20.6 PPG on .472/.391/.744 shooting. Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at the strides Black has made on offense, examining the way the former No. 6 overall pick creates scoring opportunities by changing speeds. Black, who will turn 22 later this month, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the coming offseason.
Six Magic players have accumulated multiple technical fouls this season, led by Desmond Bane‘s five. After three players were hit with technicals in Wednesday’s two-point win over Indiana, Paolo Banchero and Bane were among the players who spoke about the team’s need to play with more poise, according to Beede (subscription required). “We’ve got to show a little more maturity as a whole,” Bane said. “Every guy on the roster was chirping back, asking for certain calls. Once we understand the way the game’s going to be officiated and kind of how it’s going, we just need to ride with that, instead of trying to change it or beg for something. That’s definitely something that we need to work on, and we’ll continue to get better at as the season goes on.”

Magic Notes: Black, Suggs, Da Silva, Wagners, Penda

December 28th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Anthony Black erupted for a career-high 38 points in the Magic‘s comeback victory over Denver on Saturday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

It was the second game of a back-to-back for the Magic, who had a disappointing loss to Charlotte the night before. They trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter against the Nuggets, but worked their way back into the game by forcing turnovers and getting baskets in transition, Beede notes.

Black shot 14-of-24 from the floor in Saturday’s win, including 7-of-11 from long distance. The 21-year-old also contributed six rebounds, five assists and two steals and was plus-six in 30 minutes.

“He’s put the work in,” Desmond Bane said about Black. “He laid the foundation for a great season with the way he approached the summer. I’m really happy for his growth. He’s a special player and he’s only going to get better.”

Known as a strong defender, Black has improved across the board in his third season and deserves to be in the Most Improved Player conversation, according to Josh Cohen of the team’s website.

“Confidence stepping into a shot, playing the right way,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Black. “The things that we’ve talked about him being and doing each night. When he gets that ball in his hands, just looking to attack to get downhill, stepping into a shot, and then taking on the challenge of guarding one of the best guards in the league.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

Jalen Suggs was sidelined for his sixth straight game Saturday due to a left hip contusion, Beede tweets. “I don’t know how close but just keep preparing myself to be back on the court with my brothers,” Suggs said.
A bruised right shoulder limited Tristan Da Silva‘s effectiveness earlier this month and forced him to miss four games before returning to action on Friday, Beede writes in another story. “I feel good,” Da Silva said Friday morning. “It’s been something that I’ve been dealing with a little bit, so I’m just glad that I finally took the time to settle back down and get things re-centered with myself. I’m excited to step back out there again.” The second-year forward was a key contributor in Saturday’s win, finishing with 17 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) and five rebounds in 30 minutes.
Mosley also provided injury updates on Franz Wagner and his older brother Moritz Wagner on Friday morning, Beede adds. Franz, who is recovering from a high left ankle sprain, has been limited to spot shooting. Moritz, who is a year removed from a torn ACL, will be playing 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and taking contact in the near future, but there’s no timetable for the big man’s return, per Beede.
Bane raved about Noah Penda‘s contributions earlier this week with the Magic shorthanded, as Beede relays (via Twitter). “He’s been huge,” Bane said of the rookie forward, who was selected No. 32 overall in the 2025 draft. “We all know what he brings on the defensive end, scrapping to get loose balls, but I’m proud of him for having confidence in his shot.“

Injury Notes: Herro, Jovic, Trae, Magic, Wolves, Dosunmu

December 17th, 2025 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyler Herro (right big toe contusion) is traveling with the Heat on their three-game road trip that begins in Brooklyn on Thursday and hopes to return to action at some point on that trip, but admitted there’s “a lot of swelling” in his toe, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Herro, who has missed three of the past four games due to the toe injury, played last Tuesday after taking a Toradol shot, then practiced during the team’s five-day break before being ruled out of Monday’s contest.

“I probably shouldn’t have practiced,” Herro said today. “That kind of like sparked things back up. So I’m just trying to control the swelling and the inflammation, and then from there I can kind of decide what I want to do from there.”

Forward Nikola Jovic, who was diagnosed with a right elbow contusion/laceration after taking a hard fall on Monday, told reporters on Wednesday that he considers himself week-to-week. However, he’s optimistic his absence won’t be a lengthy one and said he was relieved that his injury wasn’t worse.

“I was scared I broke my arm, because I didn’t feel anything and I just saw a lot of blood,” Jovic said. “And they were really scared, too, because I had a pretty deep and a big cut, too. I have stitches now. But it didn’t look good as soon as I went back, because I started feeling my arm. It feels good now. I can’t do a lot of stuff. I can’t really hold stuff right now. But it’s not broken, so I guess that’s the most important thing and I think I’ll be back really soon.”

We have more injury updates from around the NBA:

Hawks guard Trae Young, who has been out since October 29 due to a sprained MCL, appears to be nearing his return. Young was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the College Park Skyhawks, then recalled on Wednesday for a practice with the NBA squad, according to the team (Twitter links).
Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain) and Moritz Wagner (ACL recovery) aren’t traveling with the Magic on their four-game Western Conference trip that begins Thursday in Denver, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). While the Wagner brothers remain in Orlando to focus on their rehab work, Jalen Suggs (left hip contusion) will join the team on its trip, though head coach Jamahl Mosley said the guard “wasn’t able to go and do much in practice” on Wednesday.
After missing the Timberwolves‘ past two games, star guard Anthony Edwards (right foot injury maintenance) is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup with Memphis (Twitter link). Veteran point guard Mike Conley, meanwhile, has been ruled out for a third straight game due to right Achilles tendinopathy.
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland and hopes to be active following a two-game layoff, but both of his thumbs are sprained and taped up, and he has a bone bruise in his right thumb. Those injuries would eventually heal with rest, but Dosunmu intends to play through them, referring to it as a “pain tolerance thing” (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network and Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic).

Magic Notes: Banchero, M. Wagner, NBA Cup Semifinal, Lessons

December 14th, 2025 at 5:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Paolo Banchero has not played up to his usual standards for the Magic in the four games since his return from a left groin strain, but he’s encouraged by his game-by-game progress, according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede (Twitter video link).

“I’m feeling good. I’m feeling better every game. Not really thinking as much in terms of like thinking about the injury.” Banchero said. “… I’ve been feeling better and better every game. Hopefully, I can continue to find my spots out there and continue to play within the team.”

The 2024 All-Star has averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per night since returning to play, well below his career rates of 22.2 PPG and 7.1 RPG. He was quiet in the first half of the team’s NBA Cup semifinal loss to the Knicks, but was able to turn things around in the second half and finished the game with 25 points and eight rebounds.

“I think I started a little slow. Started to get involved more as the game went on,” Banchero said. “But 0-for-7 from three, obviously, I’m not happy about that. I feel like I got to the rim pretty well. I want to get to the line a little more. [A] little loose with the ball at times.”

We have more from the Magic:

Moritz Wagner has been working diligently in his rehab from the ACL he tore one year ago, but his return will have to wait at least a little longer. According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley has ruled out Wagner for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip (Twitter link). The veteran center recently expressed optimism that he would be making his return sooner rather than later.
Mosley appreciated his team’s fight in the NBA Cup, Beede writes. “We fought. We battled,” Mosley said. “That’s what this team is going to continue to do… We missed a couple timely shots, a couple rebounds here and there for second-chance opportunities. Again, those are the details of the game we’re going to have to continue to look at. Give New York a ton of credit for how they came out and played as well.” The Magic were able to outscore the Knicks on second-chance points in Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal, Beede notes, but converted those looks less efficiently, leaving potential points on the board. Meanwhile, the Knicks were able to score at will more often than a defensive-minded team like Orlando would prefer. “They were too comfortable,” Desmond Bane said. “We had a stretch there in the third quarter where I felt like we picked up our defensive intensity and were able to get into the ball and make it uncomfortable for them. But most of the night, just about everybody on the team was getting to the spots that they wanted to get to with little resistance from us.”
The Magic are using the loss to the Knicks as a learning experience to better prepare themselves for important games later in the season and in the postseason, Robbins writes. “I definitely think it’s motivating,” Banchero said. “I’m sure everybody wishes we played better on a stage like this against a good team that we could see later on in the season. [This] just shows us what we need to work on and how we can be better later on for the springtime.” Robbins points to both the Pacers and Thunder losing in the NBA Cup knockout round and using the experience as a launching pad for deep playoff runs. “We need these moments,” Bane said. “We need these games where we’re playing in meaningful games and have to go through some adversity. I think it will help prepare us for our next challenges.”

Magic Notes: F. Wagner, M. Wagner, Banchero, Bane

December 10th, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wagner brothers are both sidelined with injuries, but they were able to distribute Christmas gifts to children from an Orlando area youth center on Wednesday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Speaking to the media for the first time since suffering a high left ankle sprain in Sunday’s game at New York, Franz Wagner expressed relief that the injury wasn’t worse and called it “just a little bump in the road in the grand scheme of things.” Expected to be out of action for two-to-four weeks, he wore a boot on his left foot and had to use crutches to move around at the event.

“Kind of mixed feelings,” he said. “Super relieved, but at the same time, bummed that I’m going to be out for a couple weeks. Definitely caught a break there a little bit and I’m blessed that it’s just a high ankle sprain.

Moritz Wagner is nearing the one-year anniversary of the ACL tear in his left knee that he suffered last December 21. He’s continuing to do rehab work and expressed hope that he’ll be able to return sometime soon.

“I’m doing really good,” he said. “I’m feeling really good about where I’m at, finding the joy again of playing basketball and enjoying the process a little more.”

There’s more from Orlando:

Coach Jamahl Mosley has plenty of experience in surviving without one of his star forwards, Beede notes in a separate story. Paolo Banchero just returned Friday after missing 10 games with a groin strain, and Franz Wagner suffered a torn abdominal muscle last season that sidelined him for 20 games. “You always lean on the things that have happened in the past a little bit to take that experience,” Mosley said. “But we’ve got to learn from it. What are we going to do? And how are we going to play? You don’t want to see anybody go down, but we talked about our depth and our defense being our strong suits, so our guys are going to have to step up to the plate, depending on how long guys are out for.”
Banchero remained on a minutes restriction for Tuesday’s NBA Cup win over Miami, Beede tweets. He played 32 minutes and finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Desmond Bane has brought a “dawg mentality” to the Magic with his competitive nature, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Bane scored 37 points in Tuesday’s victory, marking the third time in the past six games that he’s reached that figure. “(We) understood that we had to get back to our identity: smash-mouth basketball on both sides of the floor,” he said. “Once we started playing that way, everything started turning for us. We just rode that trend all the way through.”
Bane and his teammates will receive a financial bonus for advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals, and he joked, “I just lost $35,000. I gotta go get it back somehow” (Twitter video link from Underdog NBA), referring to the fine he received for throwing the ball at OG Anunoby on Sunday.

Injury Notes: Sabonis, Porzingis, Nembhard, Moody, M. Wagner

October 24th, 2025 at 4:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings star Domantas Sabonis will make his season debut in Friday’s home opener against Utah, as James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com relays (via Twitter).

Sabonis sustained a right hamstring injury during a preseason contest on October 15. Sacramento subsequently referred to the ailment as a Grade 1 strain and said he’d be reevaluated in a week, with an expectation that he’d be out for the first two games of the season — instead he’ll only miss one.

The 29-year-old center was spotted shooting at Thursday’s practice and was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup with the Jazz before being upgraded to available.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis will miss his first regular season game with the Hawks on Friday due to flu-like symptoms, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks. A league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Porzingis participated in the Hawks’ shootaround on Friday morning but started feeling ill in the afternoon (Twitter link). Atlanta plays at Orlando. Porzingis, who was acquired from Boston in an offseason trade, recorded 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in Wednesday’s disappointing blowout loss to Toronto.
After exiting Thursday’s opener against Oklahoma City with left shoulder soreness, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard will undergo additional testing to determine the severity of the injury, head coach Rick Carlisle said after the thrilling double-overtime loss (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files). “We’ll find out more (Friday). He’s going to get some tests done. But this is going to potentially present some big challenges.” As we noted last night, Indiana’s point guard depth is very shaky at the moment due to several injuries.
Warriors wing Moses Moody suffered a left calf injury during a practice a couple weeks ago, causing him to miss Golden State’s final three preseason games as well the first two games of the regular season. But he’ll be back for Friday’s matchup in Portland, which is the second of a back-to-back, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). Al Horford will be out with left toe injury management, Slater adds, which was expected.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley provided a minor injury update on forward/center Moritz Wagner on Friday, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Wagner is recovering from a torn ACL he sustained last December. “Moe right now is just still doing the non-contact work, continuing to strengthen his body,” Mosley said. “But his spirits are still great. You can see him on the bench throughout our games continuing to coach, using his voice, using his encouragement. But body-wise, it’s just still continuing with the non-contact work.”

Magic Notes: Bane, Banchero, F. Wagner, Black, Howard

October 8th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic took a major gamble by trading for Desmond Bane, but Paolo Banchero believes the high-scoring guard is exactly what Orlando needs to be a serious contender in the East, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The team sent a lot of assets to Memphis in return, parting with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round swap. Banchero has no doubt that Bane will be worth the high price.

“It’s a great fit for who we are as a team,” he said. “He adds what we’re missing, and he also adds to what we already have. It’s like the perfect match. We don’t have anybody who can make shots like him, who can kind of leverage the way he is able to make shots, then make plays for others and get downhill and create. He’s a Swiss Army knife just as a player, as a guard. He is stronger than 99 percent of the guards in the league with how he’s built. He’s going to fit into what we do.”

Bane tells Spears that he received a Father’s Day text from Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman, along with a request to talk right away. Kleiman followed up by FaceTiming him to break the news of the trade. Even though Bane was caught by surprise after spending his first five NBA seasons in Memphis, he insists there’s “no bad blood at all” and he’s happy to be in a good situation in Orlando. He also regrets that the Grizzlies weren’t able to make a long playoff run while the foundation of the team was together.

“I feel like we never really got a chance to see what it would be like for a full season with our core and everybody healthy,” Bane said. “But you can only wait so long. In this business, you only got so many years to make something happen.”

There’s more from Orlando:

Jamahl Mosely had Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner serve as coaches during Wednesday’s scrimmage, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Suggs is still recovering from a left knee trochlea cartilage tear that ended his season in January, while Wagner is rehabbing a torn ACL in his left knee. Since they couldn’t participate in the scrimmage, Mosely decided to give them a different perspective. “It’s huge because it talks about communicating,” he said. “It keeps communication as the high priority. You’ve got to be able to communicate with your teammates the things that you see, what you want, the standard that we’ve set. I’ve said this before but it’s easy for coaches to say things, to put things on boards, to watch it on film … It becomes real when these guys can repeat it back to you and they can repeat the message of what they’re calling themselves to do.”
Franz Wagner sat out the first preseason contest after an active summer at EuroBasket, but he’s hoping to get back on the court in at least one of the next three games, Beede adds. “Yeah, I definitely want to play, get out there with the guys and get a couple minutes,” Wagner said. “Not that much time before the first real game.”
In a separate story, Beede examines the importance of this season for Anthony Black and Jett Howard, who will both become eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

Magic Notes: Suggs, M. Wagner, Bane, Isaac, Jones, Banchero

September 30th, 2025 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

As Magic guard Jalen Suggs continues to make his way back from a left knee trochlea cartilage tear that has sidelined him since January, the team is targeting opening night for his return, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said on Monday, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required).

Suggs had originally hoped to be back to 100% for the start of training camp, but now the plan will be to use camp and the preseason as a ramp-up period. As Beede writes, the goal will be to get him on the court in one of Orlando’s four preseason games before the regular season tips off.

Moritz Wagner, the Magic big man who is coming off a left ACL tear, isn’t quite as far along as Suggs, Weltman acknowledged on Monday.

“Moe’s timeline is different,” Weltman said. “He’s further away. You guys know there have been unfortunately a series of ACLs in the last decade of the NBA and an associated timeline with that. But you guys also know Moe Wagner. So, he’s not your normal guy. He’s attacking it. and we’re hopeful he can beat that timeline. What that looks like exactly is too soon to say.”

Wagner said he has gotten through the injury rehab portion of his recovery process and is now working on getting back into game shape, according to Beede. At the team’s first practice on Tuesday, Suggs was able to take part in “all of the non-contact drills,” per head coach Jamahl Mosley, while Wagner did many of the same drills but was “probably two steps back” of Suggs in terms of progress (Twitter links).

Here’s more on the Magic:

Adjusting to a new team after spending the first five years of his NBA career in Memphis has been “pretty easy” so far, Desmond Bane said on Tuesday (Twitter video link via Beede). “They’re such good guys that they make it easy to come in here and get our work done so it’s been good,” Bane said of his new teammates.
After appearing in just 11 games across three seasons from 2020-23, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac played in 58 in 2023/24 and 71 last season. Will that number continue to rise in 2025/26? “My goal this season is 82,” Isaac said at media day, noting that he dropped some weight in the offseason (Twitter link via Beede). “If nothing happens, if I don’t get any colds or sicknesses or anything like that, I should be fine to go 82.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, including Beede (Twitter link), veteran point guard Tyus Jones said the chance to potentially compete for a championship was an important factor in his decision to sign with Orlando.
Star Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who signed a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension in July, said it was an “amazing feeling” to lock in that deal and expressed enthusiasm about the moves the front office made to upgrade the roster over the summer. “I’m definitely happy with the moves the organization made,” Banchero said (subscriber-only story via Beede). “[They] brought in two great, experienced players (Bane and Jones) in here and drafted two great rookies (Jase Richardson and Noah Penda). So, [I’m] just excited to get to work with the group and get on the court and start building that chemistry.”

EuroBasket Notes: Schröder, Nowitzki, Wagner, Spanoulis, Awards

September 15th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dennis Schröder credited Dirk Nowitzki with inspiring the current crop of players who have turned Germany into an international basketball power, writes Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. After capturing MVP honors while leading his team to the gold medal at EuroBasket, Schröder paid tribute to the Mavericks legend, who was a German basketball icon in addition to his 21-year NBA career.

“Dirk, what he’s been doing for the German national team and what he’s done in the NBA and in the national team made us come to the national team and represent our country,” Schröder said.

Nowitzki is one of the greatest players in European history and earned a long list of honors in international competitions. Schröder is also building an impressive resume, adding the EuroBasket gold to the championship he won at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and a bronze medal in the 2022 EuroBasket, but he doesn’t want to be compared to Nowitzki.

“At the end of the day, my name is Dennis Schröder, and I’m just Dennis Schröder, and that’s my legacy,” he said. “Whatever I can bring to the table to make sure my teammates are good and we compete at the highest level and win gold medals. That’s what I’m going to do. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

German teammate Franz Wagner dedicated the championship to his brother, Moritz Wagner, who was unable to play due to an ACL tear in his left knee that he suffered with Orlando last season, per Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. Franz said his brother is “super happy” about the gold medal, and he wore Moritz’s jersey during the victory celebration as a way to include him. “Obviously, he had a tough injury, and he’s trying to get back as fast as possible,” Franz said. “Couldn’t be here, but I think everybody on the team knows that he’s part of the group. It’s part of what we’re building.”
Greek coach Vassilis Spanoulis was happy to leave with the bronze, which represents the nation’s first international medal in 16 years, according to Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops. “This medal belongs to all Greeks,” Spanoulis said. “We wanted to bring basketball to the top again. This generation deserved it. Thank you very much, and I hope this medal returns basketball to the golden era.”
We covered Schröder’s MVP and the naming of the First Five on Sunday, but several other awards were also handed out. FIBA’s EuroBasket website lists Poland’s Jordan Loyd, Turkey’s Cedi Osman, Israel’s Deni Avdija, Finland’s Lauri Markkanen and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as second-team honorees. In addition, Germany’s Isaac Bonga was named Best Defensive Player, Finland’s Miikka Muurinen received the Rising Star award and Turkey’s Ergin Ataman was recognized as Best Coach. Full standings for all 24 tournament teams have also been released.

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