But not for Germany
NBA star surprisingly rejects his plan
08/18/2023 1:28 p.m
Basketball player Austin Reaves is publicly flirting with a move to the German national team. But at some point, head coach Herbert no longer receives an answer. Suddenly the 25-year-old point guard is part of Team USA in June. Now it comes to the piquant duel.
The German grandmother was not sufficient. At some point, basketball pro Austin Reaves simply decided to stop pursuing the “German national team” plan. First Reaves said he was “not doing anything this summer” – and suddenly the 25-year-old guard was in Team USA’s squad in June. And then uttered sentences like this: “It means a lot to play for our country. I think we’ve put together a team that really is a team.”
On Sunday (6 p.m. live on Magentasport) for Reaves in Abu Dhabi there is a very spicy duel with Germany and ex-teammate Dennis Schröder, with whom Reaves played at the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous season. There he was one of the top performers and impressed with an average of 13 points and three rebounds and assists.
Schröder and coach Gordon Herbert in particular tried to convince the professional to switch to the German team – ideally for the 2023 World Cup, which starts next Friday in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Reaves even organized German citizenship with the family background. “I just have to submit my papers, my brother did it a few months ago,” emphasized the basketball professional in the spring with a view to a potential change. Head coach Herbert stayed tuned, but according to Reaves, no longer received an SMS reply. Now the man is playing with the German grandma for gold favorite USA – and on Sunday he will face the professionals who should become his teammates.