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Dirk Nowitzki didn’t faze Gordon Herbert either. The German basketball legend first lured the national team to Japan and then knocked Japan, Australia and Finland out of the lottery pot. At the FIBA ​​World Championships (August 25-September 10) in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, the bronze medalists of the European Championships from the preliminary round of Group E will face the co-hosts and the team highly ranked in Okinawa’s 8,500 places. Arena. Australia and Finland. Australia have a number of NBA players in their ranks and Finland recently knocked out Croatia from the European Championships in Germany, narrowly losing in the quarter-finals to European champions Spain.

In the usual calm words of a national coach: “What an interesting group. Japan in Japan, Australia as one of the best teams in the world and Finland as one of the rising teams in Europe. Very interesting.” However, the demand for German basketball players has increased considerably after last year’s strong home performances, especially as EM players confirmed without exception their willingness to participate in the German Association’s three-year plan Basketball (DBB).. After the European Championships, this includes the upcoming World Cup and, as a final highlight, the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.The Canadians who hold pole position in DBB have no doubt either: after what was presented as a group death at last year’s European Championships, strong opponents are back in the running: “But if you want to be somebody, you have to beat someone,” said Herbert, “We want to take the next step in the World Cup after our great success last year.”

Another top player already in the NBA is Maxi Kleber and Munich Cup winners Moritz Wagner and Isaac Bonga.

He sees his options are ready, especially since the NBA’s growing pool of players will include Dennis Schroeder and Franz Wagner. In Moritz Wagner, injured at the European Championships, and Maximilian Kleber, injured, two other foreign professionals have been confirmed. Isaac Bonga, who was also injured at the time, is also said to have joined the circle; The 23-year-old has returned to his old form at Bayern Munich. On the other hand, Austin Reeves, a Los Angeles Lakers teammate of Dennis Schroeder, does not appear to be involved. The 24-year-old is currently showing solid form in qualifying, and there have been rumors for some time that the winger is also an option for DBB selection due to his German grandmother. “I texted and called Austin but got no response,” Herbert told DBB’s website. He wouldn’t try again.

“The most important thing is that we are ready. It doesn’t matter who we fight. If you want to be on the podium, you have to win games,” national team coach Herbert stressed. To qualify for the intermediate stages, Germany will have to finish at least second, and will face their best in Group F with Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela for a place in the quarter-finals.

For the round of 16, the DBB group must then move to the capital of the Philippines, Manila. Two of Europe’s top teams have also booked tickets for the Olympics. It’s not an easy task, but it’s doable according to Herbert: “The goal is to be on the podium and qualify for the Olympics.