Zurab Talakavadze

Germany Uber Alles!

Summary. Germany are the new Eurobasket champions. In a tense, tough to swallow final game, this team overtook the brilliant Turkey to claim the title and took the final 88:83. The first title for Germany at Eurobasket since 1993, when they beat the favorite Russia in a dramatic battle. Germany did not loose a single game on this year’s event and went on to claim the long awaited title. And yet another milestone for Germany: they are the Worlc Cup title holders (2023), which means, that they will be only the fourth nation to defend both major titles at the same time. The sold out arena in Riga witnessed a big come back from this National Team, that started the final 2:13. And what a comeback it was!

Dennis the hero. We came to Dennis Schroeder later in this article, but could not pass on his play in the finals. Often being left in the shadow in the first half, Schroeder was top performer after the break. He scored 14 points in the third and fourth quarters and became the MVP of the tournament. Schroeder finished the final with 16 points and Eurobasket finals record 12 assists. Dennis was the hero for Germany alongside some other great individuals. And, Dennis delivered in the clutch. Well, like he mostly does on the international level. This final belonged to Germany and Dennis was the backbone for this Cyborg. You can not loose with a leader like this! All in all, great job by this German torpedo.

MVP of the Final. And, this time we do have a real surprise! No Schroeder, no Wagner, No other German to claim this prestigious prize. It was Isaac Bonga, who was voted as an MVP of the title match. He finished the game with German high 20 points, 5 rebounds and mostly, he did play some solid defense when most needed. Bonda, a former player for Lakers, was considering a return to NBA and now, after his great finals, there might more potential suitors for him. For the tournament, he averaged a solid 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocked shots per game. All in all, great tournament and most important, a great final game, Isaac!

Schroeder makes history. The linchpin of this German machine, Dennis Schroeder became a part of history, when he was named the MVP of the tournament. Dennis became only the seventh player in FIBA basketball history to be named both Eurobasket and World Championships MVP. And the names before him? A great Russian Sergei Belov (Eurobasket MVP 1969, World Cup MVP 1970), Drazen Dalipagic representing Yogoslavia (Eurobaskey 1977, World Cup 1978), an immortal Drazen Petrovic from Yugoslavia (Eurobasket 1989, World Cup 1986), Toni Kukoc representing World (Eurobasket 1991, World Cup 1990), Dirk Nowitzki from Germany (Eurobasket 2995, World Cup 2002) and the great Spaniard Pau Gasol (Eurobasket 2009, 2015, World Cup 2006). Schroeder became the MVP of the World Cup back in 2023, when German won the vent under guidance of Gordon Herbert.