Germany has a chance to clinch its first medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Germany meets France at 11:30 a.m. ET in the semifinals on Thursday. It’s a rematch of Friday’s pool play matchup, which Germany won 85-71. The winner advances to the gold-medal game and will play the winner of the United States and Serbia.
Germany finished 3-0 in pool play and advanced to the semifinals with a 76-63 victory against Greece in the quarterfinals. Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder are part of a strong defensive team that has allowed just 71 points per game in the Olympics.
Will Germany get that first medal in Olympic basketball? A look inside Germany’s men’s basketball team.
MORE: Updated Olympics basketball schedule, results
Gordie Herbert – a long-time European coach – is the coach for Germany in the Summer Olympics. He is from Canada and had a two-year stint with the Toronto Raptors from 2008-09.
Germany won the 2023 World Cup under Herbert, which included a 113-111 victory against Team USA in the semifinals. Germany beat Serbia in the 83-77 championship game.
Klaus Perwas, a former player for the German national team, is the assistant coach.
Germany has four active NBA players, and that includes three starters
Franz Wagner averaged 19.8 points per game in his third season with the Orlando Magic. He is the leading scorer for Germany. Moritz Wagner, who comes off the bench for Germany, averaged 10.9 points for the Magic last season.
Dennis Schroder has played 11 NBA seasons and averages 14 points for his career. He played for the Brooklyn Nets last season.
Daniel Theis has played seven NBA seasons and averages 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for his career. He plays for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bench player Isaac Bonga averaged 3.1 points in four NBA seasons. Guard Andreas Obst and center Johannes Voigtmann are the other starters for Germany.
A look at the 12-man roster:
NO. | POS | NAME | HT | TEAM | LEAGUE |
0 | SF | Isaac Bonga | 6-8 | Partizan | EuroLeague |
1 | PF | Oscar da Silva | 6-9 | Bayern Munich | EuroLeague |
4 | PG | Maodo Lo | 6-3 | Olimpia Mano | EuroLeague |
5 | SF | Niels Giffey | 6-7 | Bayern Munich | EuroLeague |
6 | G | Nick Weiler-Babb | 6-5 | Bayern Munich | EuroLeague |
7 | C | Johannes Voigtmann | 6-11 | Olimpia Mano | EuroLeague |
9 | G/F | Franz Wagner | 6-10 | Orlando Magic | NBA |
10 | F/C | Daniel Theis | 6-8 | New Orleans Pelicans | NBA |
13 | F/C | Mortiz Wagner | 6-11 | Orlando Magic | NBA |
17 | PG | Dennis Schroder | 6-1 | Brooklyn Nets | NBA |
32 | PF | Johannes Thiemann | 6-9 | Gumma Crane | Japanese League |
42 | SG | Andreas Obst | 6-3 | Bayern Munich | EuroLeague |
Germany finished 3-0 in Pool B. Germany beat Japan 97-77 on July 27, then knocked off Brazil 86-73 on July 30.
Germany beat France 85-71 on Aug. 2. Wagner and Schroder scored 26 points apiece in the victory. Germany advanced to the semifinals with a 76-63 victory against Greece on Aug. 6. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points in the loss.
Now, Germany faces France in a rematch and has a chance to clinch its first medal in men’s basketball.
This is Germany’s seventh appearance in the men’s basketball tournament at the Summer Olympics and the first trip to the semifinals.
Germany’s previous highest finish in the Olympics was a seventh-place finish in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, which featured the 1992 Dream Team. That team – which featured Detlef Schrempf – finished 2-3 and lost 111-68 to Team USA.
Germany finished eighth with a 1-3 record at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
A look at how Germany has fared in men’s basketball in the Summer Olympics:
YEAR | RECORD | PLACE |
1936 | 1-3 | 15th |
1972 | 3-6 | 12th |
1984 | 2-6 | 8th |
1992 | 3-5 | 7th |
2008 | 1-4 | 10th |
2020 | 1-3 | 8th |
2024 | 4-0 | TBD |
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