When it comes to basketball, I’ve been around the block. I have seen thousands of games, tournaments, wins and losses. National, international, amateurs and pros. But it all started with the Dream Team and the sensational win of the German team at the FIBA European Championship in 1993.
That’s what sparked my love for basketball.
That’s what sparked the media coverage so I could nurture my love for basketball.
That’s what sparked the basketball industry so I could work a job in basketball.
That’s what sparked the awareness in Germany that basketball is cool, fun and exciting.
The ramifications of the basketball wave that swept the country in the mid-90s thanks to the Dream Team and 1993 Euro Championship can not be overstated. And even if they are not aware of it, the players that won the FIBA World Cup in Manila yesterday are directly or indirectly descendants of the moment that introduced basketball to mainstream Germany.
I am absolutely convinced that we are heading for a new wave now.
Inspired by Dennis Schröder, Andi Obst, Franz & Moritz Wagner, Daniel Theis, Isaac Bonga, Maodo Lo and the rest of the DBB-Team, many kids will take up basketball in the upcoming months and years. The fact that the squad won by playing as a tight unit, a real team, will promote the importance of teamplay through all levels of organized basketball. Sep 10, 2023 is a watershed moment in the history of basketball in Germany. And we as basketball fans in Germany should be really proud. With football being the number 1 sport by a wide margin, we have always been a minority and the day that will change may never come, but it is these moments – like yesterday – that prove that we are still here and we are here to stay.
We are the World Champions of basketball.
We are #nevernotballin.