Mother of the Wagner brothers
“We all screamed. It was incredible”
The parents of basketball players Franz Wagner followed the European Championship final. In the interview, mother Beate speaks over the last seconds and the pain of the injured brother.
Ms. Wagner, where am I reaching you?
We are still in Riga and go back to Berlin. It’s good that you are calling now.
On Sunday you saw the extraordinary final of the German basketball players against Turkey in Riga. Her son Franz Wagner was on the floor. How have you experienced the last seconds in this thriller?
After Daniel Theis’s threesome, I no longer know exactly what happened. I think it was still a good minute to play. I have to look at everything again in peace. I only know that we all screeched. It was incredible.
To person
Beate Wagner is the mother of the national basketball player Moritz and Franz Wagner, both of whom play at the Orlando Magic in the NBA. Together with husband Axel Schulz, she always supported her sons’ career. Beate Wagner works as a medical journalist and lives in Berlin.
In the TV pictures it could be seen that she apparently had her second son Moritz, who had to cancel the EM due to injury, byVideo callhad switched on on the cell phone. Is that right?
Yes, he was there all the time. We often do this that the other is there via FaceTime.
When did you call it?
In total, it was certainly switched on for 15 minutes. Later I passed the phone to the wild 13, to the fans that Moritz all know. He was there at that moment.
How did it go afterwards? Did you celebrate together?
Of course we celebrated together with the team, the coaches and everyone involved in a bar with a view of Riga. We were in bed at five. That was very nice.
Apart from the final and the last insane seconds: Was there another crucial moment during the tournament for you as the mother of a international?
Yes, after the first three or four games won there were these moments that felt like the World Cup win two years ago. I caught the thought: maybe it goes on like this now? And that’s how it came. That is something special.
How long have you been on site in Riga?
We were out and about for three weeks. We were there at the test game in Mannheim and at the preparation tournament in Munich. In between we went home to Berlin before my husband (Axel Schulz, editor’s note) and I continued to go to the European Championship to Tampere in Finland. We have been in Riga since September 5th.
They were close to the team. How did you experience the mood around the team, what distinguishes it?
The mood was special. All players know each other well, they are a real team. The boys rely on each other. They believe in themselves. At the same time, there are very different players and characters. This results in a wonderful synergy.
Her older son Moritz, who became world champion with the team two years ago, missed the European Championship for a cruciate ligament tear, but he pursued it up close as an expert in Magenta TV. How did he deal with it?
As he was happy, everyone noticed. But of course there was one moment or two that hurt because he wasn’t there. That is clear. After the final, it was very emotional for Franz and Moritz – and also us parents. But I am sure that it was good that he was far away in California and could concentrate on rehab. He made the commentator job great. That helped.
When will he be able to play again?
The plan is that it is fit again at the start of the season in early October. He has in the rehabilitation really muchworked. Moritz and Franz then meet again in Orlando.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
