A Guide to the Germany Men’s Basketball Team
The Germany men’s basketball team are the current FIBA Basketball World Cup Champions. Known as ‘Die Mannschaft’ (The Team), the German side also has one EuroBasket gold medal (1993).
Discover everything you need to know about the Germany men’s basketball team with the help of this comprehensive guide from the team at Courtside 1891.
2024 Summer Olympics - Men's Basketball
The German men's basketball team are confirmed as one of the twelve nations that will compete at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Germany automatically qualified for Paris 2024 thanks to their winning performance at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Olympic basketball events will take place between 27th July and 10th of August 2024. The nations currently confirmed to participate are France (host), South Sudan, Canada, the United States, Japan, Australia, Serbia and Germany.
The four remaining places will be confirmed through the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024, which you can stream live with Courtside 1891. The tournaments are currently scheduled for July 2-7 2024.
From Europe, the competing Olympic qualifying tournament nations are Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Greece, Georgia, Finland, Poland and Croatia.
Puerto Rico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Mexico advanced from the Americas region, following positive results at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will be joined by the Bahamas, who shocked Argentina in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in La Banda, Argentina.
Egypt, Angola, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon are the competing African nations.
From Asia and Oceania, the teams that advanced were Lebanon, the Philippines, New Zealand and Bahrain.
How Did Germany Perform At The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023?
Here are the key stats from Serbia's FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign:
- → Final Standing: !st (gold medal)
- → Results: Played 8 Won 8 Lost 0
- → Top Points Scorer: Dennis Schröder 153 PTS (19.1 PPG)
- → Top Assist Provider: Dennis Schröder 45 AST (6.1 APG)
- → Most Efficient Player: Dennis Schröder 17.6 EPG
Germany went an unbeaten 8-0 to claim their first-ever FIBA World Cup gold medal. An 81-63 Gameday 1 victory over co-host Japan set the tone before they triumphed 85-82 over Australia to take charge of Group E. A comfortable 101-75 win over (then) winless Finland sealed top spot in the Group. Die Mannschaft put up exactly 100 points in wins over Georgia and Slovenia to reach the Quarter-Final knockout round as only one of two unbeaten teams (along with Lithuania).
There is a fine line between winning and defeat, which Germany proved with one-possession victories over Latvia (81-79) and the USA (111-113) that set up a final with fellow Europeans, Serbia. A fantastic showpiece, Germany trailed 23-26 after Q1, reversing the deficit in Q2 to go in level at half-time 47-47. The game turned in Q3, which Germany won 22-10 with MVP Dennis Schröder turning it up offensively in what would become a career-defining 28-point performance. Serbia stormed back in the fourth quarter, desperate to erase a 12-point deficit, getting the Germany lead down to 2 points with less than 40 seconds remaining. Schröder proceeded to ice the game with a signature speedy drive followed by clutch free throws as the final seconds ticked down.
Read a full recap of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Final here. Fans can also re-watch and stream highlights of every game in Germany's run to the title on the Courtside 1891 World Cup page.
Carrying on their medal form from EuroBasket 2022, captain Dennis Schröder was the driving force that propelled them to glory. Read our article following his tournament MVP award win here.
Team Presentation Video
Increase your knowledge about Die Mannschaft with this Team Discovery Video, produced before the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It's a great guide to learn more about the team’s greatest achievements, legendary players and current stars that helped the German basketball team achieve their greatest-ever tournament performance.
Team Presentation - Germany - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
World Cup Qualification
Germany powered through the qualification process for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They topped both of their qualification groups, winning 10 games out of 12.
In the first phase of qualification, the Germany basketball team was drawn in Group D, alongside Israel, Estonia and Poland. Here, the team suffered a shock defeat in their opening game at home against Estonia. However, the game obviously provided the team with a much-needed wakeup call. Following this, they then won all of their five remaining games and finished with a table-topping 5-1 record.
In the second and final qualification round, Germany were drawn in a highly-competitive Group J, alongside Finland, Slovenia, Sweden, Israel and Estonia. Here, the German side lost just one more game: an away tie against Slovenia in Koper.
This meant Germany ended qualifying with a 10-2 record. This left them tied with France for the best World Cup qualifying record in Europe.
Best World Cup Qualification Plays
Coach Herbert utilized 34 players during Germany’s qualifying campaign, and only Justus Hollatz featured in all 12 of his side’s games.
The stars of the campaign were David Krämer and Christian Sengfelder. Krämer notched up 136 points in his 246 minutes of action, ending the campaign with a cumulative +/- of +52. Meanwhile, Sengfelder poured in 127 points and grabbed 51 rebounds, ending the campaign with a cumulative +/- of +71.
While star player Dennis Schröder only featured in four qualification games, he still led the side in efficiency per game, points per game and assists per game.
Keen to discover more about Germany’s style of play? Watch their Top 10 plays from FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 qualifying right here.
Best Plays - Germany - FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers 2023
Current Star Players
Germany announced an extended roster for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on June 12, 2023.
Five current NBA players made the cut, including Maxi Kleber, Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, and both Wagner brothers (Franz and Mo). All 12 players who won the bronze medal at last year's EuroBasket held in Cologne and Berlin. Kleber would not make the final squad after captain Schröder publicly called out his decision to sit out EuroBasket 2022. It was a controversial move but one that ultimately paid off handsomely, bringing continuity and squad togetherness.
The squad was packed with European-based star power too. Johannes Voightmann and Andreas Obst can shoot the 3 from the front and backcourt. But the key to their podium success was a string of impressive performances from their floor general, Dennis Schröder.
A key player for the side since he made his national team debut in 2014, he led Germany to third place at Eurobasket 2022 and was named to the All-Tournament Team in the process. As part of this run, he helped the side to a famous victory over Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His fast offensive and stifling point-of-attack defensive game is well suited to the international stage. Now a trophy-winning captain, Schröder will be eyeing up a third successive medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Domestically, Schröder has established himself as a solid NBA role player, where his modest 6’ 1” size and slow shot release had put a lower ceiling on his perceived value. Since being drafted 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2013, he’s played in more than 750 NBA games for five sides. He’ll start the 23-24 season representing his sixth franchise, the Toronto Raptors.
Legends of the Team
German basketball fans hold a special place in their hearts for Dirk Nowitzki. One of the greatest European basketball players of all time, Nowitzki led Germany to a bronze medal at the 2002 World Cup and a silver at EuroBasket 2005. He was also the leading scorer and MVP in both tournaments. In 2022, he became the first German men’s player to have his number retired.
At his best, Nowitzki was simply unstoppable. Keen to see why? Catch his Top 10 MVP plays from FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 here:
Top 10 - Dirk Nowitzki - Germany - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002
A force on the international stage, Nowitzki also took the NBA by storm. Although he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 9th overall pick in 1998, he was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent his entire 21-year NBA career.
During his time with the Mavs, he led the side to 15 playoff appearances and the franchise’s only NBA Championship. He was named as the NBA’s MVP in 2007 and was the first European player to ever receive this award.
His list of achievements and accolades is seemingly endless. After all, Nowitzki is also a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA team member and the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history, with 31,560 points.
One of the greatest Power Forwards of all time, Nowitzki was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.
Historical World Cup Performance
Germany made their seventh appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. The side made their debut back in 1986 and, since then, they have claimed one bronze medal before their gold medal.
Prior to this, Germany had made very little impact in the World Cup. In fact, they’ve only made one other appearance at the quarter-final stage (they finished 8th in 2006).
Previous Successes and Tournament Wins
In six Olympic Games appearances, the Basketball Germany side has never claimed a medal. Their best finish came back in 1992 when they finished seventh.
The side has enjoyed their greatest degree of success at FIBA EuroBasket. Since their first appearance at the tournament in 1951, they’ve claimed one bronze medal, one silver medal and one gold medal in 25 FIBA EuroBasket competition appearances.
They claimed their bronze medal as a co-host nation in 2022, and fans of Die Mannschaft will be hoping the side can now carry this form from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup into next year’s 2024 Summer Olympics.
How to Watch Germany Men's Basketball
With Courtside 1891, worldwide fans can stream every game of FIBA international tournaments, as well as other competitions from around the world.
As FIBA’s premium streaming partner for the World Cup, Courtside 1891 provided access to every 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup game! Watch the competition's biggest games and best moments on-demand on our FIBA Basketball World Cup page.
The best way to make sure that you never miss a single second of the upcoming action is to download our app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play, or sign up to our website platform. Please be aware that, due to broadcasting rights and restrictions, access to some games might be restricted depending on your location. See our where-to-watch page for full details of upcoming competitions.
Looking for the latest results from the world of basketball? Head over to the Courtside 1891 Game Center. Here you’ll also find matchup times in your country as well as easy-to-access game highlights you can watch when you register with Courtside 1891.
