Orlando Magic brothers Franz and Moe Wagner discussed the significance of being in their birthplace of Berlin, Germany representing the Orlando Magic with German media on Tuesday.
The Orlando Magic will face the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin, Germany on Thursday. For Franz and Moe Wagner, it is a full circle opportunity to represent the NBA in the place where their basketball journey began.
On Tuesday, the Wagner brothers talked about the experience during a press conference with German media, and Franz Wagner expressed his excitement to reconnect with the community.
“Of course,” he said. “We know that we’ve been a bit far away from the NBA world and from America, and then with moving and everything, it’s obviously different. But generally, for me personally, that was part of the goal of this trip – to make the path a bit clearer and more visible, especially for the next generation.”
At the time of the press conference, Wagner was displaying encouraging signs regarding a return to the floor after missing 16 games due to a left high ankle sprain that he suffered in early December against the New York Knicks. “I’m doing well,” Wagner told reporters. “I definitely want to have a good practice today and see how my foot reacts, and then we’ll go from there.”
As of Wednesday, Wagner was not listed on the Magic’s initial injury report; officially paving the way for his return after Moe Wagner made his season debut at home on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans after more than a year away due to recovering from a torn left ACL.
While the elder Wagner is excited to be home, he understands the professional nature of the trip.
“I have to be careful how I answer this. Of course, as you can imagine, it’s actually a work trip for us. That’s something Franz already hinted at. On the one hand, it’s great. I think we’re very privileged. It’s been a cool experience, and we also had a bit of a mission – to bring the Magic, the NBA, to Berlin and to Germany.”
“I think in general we’re really interested in seeing the city and where we are,” Franz Wagner added. “Of course, the guys have been asking us, especially if they can see certain buildings or parts of the city. Then we go to practice, we have to eat, we go shopping – and we’re pretty tired.”
“But for both of us, it was also important to have that mission of bringing the Magic to Berlin and to Germany and showing that to people. On the other hand, that also means we have a lot of appointments. That’s just part of the job, and we both take that very seriously. We hope it comes across well.”