Franz Wagner says he's unsure about playing for Germany in EuroBasket 2025, citing the need to see how he feels later in the summer, while his Orlando Magic teammate Goga Bitadze confirmed he will represent Georgia. Moritz Wagner is unlikely to join due to a knee injury, and rookie Tristan da Silva remains a potential option for Germany.
As the Orlando Magic 2024–25 NBA season came to a close, international basketball was already on the minds of several players, most notably Franz Wagner and Goga Bitadze.
Wagner, one of Germany’s rising stars, expressed his usual love for representing his country but stopped short of confirming his participation in the upcoming EuroBasket 2025 tournament.
"That’s going to be a conversation," said the 23-year-old forward when talking in the season exit interview. "I love playing for my country, and I love the guys that I play with there. It’s always a great time. It’s also at the end of this summer, so there’s still a lot of time left before that. I hate to always promise stuff."
Wagner made it clear that nothing is set in stone. "I’ll see how I feel and how the summer kind of goes," he added. "Other than that, plans are kind of tentative at this point, but, obviously, we’ll make sure I have a good setup to make sure I get better."
Germany will likely be without another familiar name: Franz’s older brother, Moritz Wagner. The 28-year-old is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee and was sidelined to close out the Magic’s season. "There’s no benchmark or anything like that," Moritz noted.
Another German player who might join the national squad is rookie forward Tristan da Silva, who showed promise in his debut season with the Magic.
While Germany’s roster remains in flux, Bitadze made his commitment to Georgia very clear.
"I take that very seriously," Bitadze said in the season exit interview, regarding national team duties. "I’m going to prepare for that and got to stay in shape all summer. Hopefully, we win a lot of games with the national team."
Georgia and Germany will each compete in the preliminary round of EuroBasket 2025, Germany in Finland, and Georgia in Cyprus. Both nations aim to reach the knockout stage, which will take place in Riga, Latvia. The tournament runs from August 27 to September 14.
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