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Magic take Franz Wagner in first round of NBA draft

July 30, 2021

Germany's next big hope in basketball has followed his older brother into the NBA. The Orlando Magic selected Franz Wagner in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in New York.

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Franz Wagner shakes hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
Wagner, right, is the first German lottery pick since Dirk NowitzkiImage: Corey Sipkin/AP/picture alliance

No German male basketball player has ever been picked higher in the NBA draft. Franz Wagner's dream of playing in the NBA has come true, with the 19-year-old being selected by the Orlando Magic as the No. 8 pick in first round on Thursday night.

He's the first German lottery pick since Dirk Nowitzki, who was selected ninth by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks 23 years ago. 

Nowitzki went on to be named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) as Dallas claimed an NBA championship in 2011 to go with his regular season MVP award from 2007. The hopes are that Wagner can become another marquee German basketballer as he joins six compatriots on the NBA's active roster.

Franz Wagner at the NBA Draft
Franz Wagner walks off the stage after being selected eighth overall during the NBA basketball draft.Image: Corey Sipkin/AP/picture alliance

Wagner joins brother in Orlando

Wagner, a Berlin native, played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines since 2019 after being named the German Bundesliga's best young player in the same year.

During Wagner's sophomore year he averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

He will join his older brother, Moritz Wagner, also a former Michigan player, on the Orlando Magic roster.

Only one former German male player has ever been picked as high in the NBA draft as Wagner, with Detlef Schrempf drafted at No.8 by the Mavericks in 1985. The highest ever draft pick involving a German player belongs to Satou Sabally, who was picked second in the 2020 draft by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA.

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