Only one team could finish EuroBasket undefeated Sunday when Germany took the court against Turkey in Riga, Latvia with a continental championship on the line.
In the end, it was Magic forwards Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva who helped lift their home country to just Germany’s second EuroBasket title and first since 1993, years before the Orlando duo were born.
Named to the EuroBasket all-tournament team, Wagner notched 18 points on 53.8% shooting from the field with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the 88-83 win over Turkey, who was led by Houston’s Alperen Sengun (28 points).
“It’s a huge achievement for German basketball,” Germany coach Alan Ibrahimagic said. “Speaking about the character of this team, it’s not only about winning titles, but also bringing something to the country. I hope we’ve done [that] this time and it’ll pay off in the future.”
Playing alongside his older brother Oscar da Silva, the younger Tristan da Silva knocked down 3 of 4 attempts from beyond the arc to rack up 13 points, 4 rebounds and an assist.
Featuring 15 lead changes, the matchup went back and forth until Sacramento’s Dennis Schroder scored 6 unanswered points in the final 75 seconds to earn tournament MVP honors. Schroder ended with 16 points while dishing out 12 assists with 3 rebounds and a steals.
It was former NBA player Isaac Bonga who led Germany with 20 points thanks to four triples alongside 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
“Turkey played a hell of a game,” Schroder said. “But we never shy away from the big moments and it’s not just Franz, it’s not just me … It’s the whole team. Everybody is so confident. It was just a big effort from everyone.”
Added Wagner: “We played all 40 minutes. When stuff wasn’t going our way, we never put our heads down, stayed together and guys made some big plays in crucial moments.”
By winning, Germany becomes just the fourth country to hold both the EuroBasket title and most recent FIBA World Cup championship (2023) at the same time. It also marks the first time in Germany’s history that its won back-to-back EuroBasket medals after finishing third at the competition in 2022.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Lakers’ Luka Doncic of Slovenia joined Wagner, Schroder and Sengun on the EuroBasket all-tournament team.
Germany went 9-0 between the group stage and knockout rounds of the competition while Wagner averaged 20.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest throughout the event.
Wagner and da Silva will have about two weeks off until the Magic open training camp Sept. 30 at AdventHealth Training Center.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
