The German national team has the historic chance to win World Cup gold on Sunday (2:40 p.m., in the LIVE! ticker on kicker). Daniel Theis is there, who is in absolute top form. From a Wolfsburg fan who could easily have become a footballer.
In strong form: Germany’s Daniel Theis. Getty Images
The 113:111 victory of the German national team in the World Cup semi-final against the USA was historic. A DBB team has never been in the World Cup final and the Americans have never been defeated. Almost everything worked for the Germans, an incredible team effort ultimately led to victory. Many players could be singled out, from the ice-cold shooter Andi Obst to the all-rounder Franz Wagner.
Or Daniel Theis. The 31-year-old is in outstanding form, scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds against the Americans. “When he came to the training camp, he was ready, he was incredibly fit. I knew it would be a special summer. Daniel is of course our anchor in defense,” said captain Dennis Schröder happily at “Magenta Sport”. “I’m incredibly proud of him and I’m happy that we can experience this together. We’ve known each other since we were 12 or 13 years old and are now in the World Cup final together.”
This tournament shows more than clearly how important a fit Theis is. The man from the Indiana Pacers is perhaps the most athletic player in the German selection. It wasn’t immediately clear that the now 31-year-old would pursue a basketball career. As a child, Theis was also interested in table tennis, football, tennis and handball.
To this day, he still has a lot in common with football. Through friends, Theis became a fan of VfL Wolfsburg, regularly attended Wolves games with his colleagues and stood in the fan block. He still fondly remembers the train rides to the stadium. Even before the World Cup, the center used his day off after the Supercup to stop by the training of the VfL Wolfsburg professionals.
Theis’ heart lies with VfL, as he emphasized in an interview with “11 Freunde” a few years ago. “Because of the German championship in 2009, the players from the squad at that time are of course the heroes for fans, the club and also me. Through Marcel Schäfer I had the opportunity to get to know Edin Dzeko. He’s pretty cool and very high on my personal list of the VfL heroes,” said the center, who was even a member of the Lower Saxony team when he was 15.
Is there a gold medal in the 53rd international match?
In the end it didn’t work out with football. Luckily, basketball fans will think. Daniel also decided to go basket hunting because of his older brother Frank, with whom he played in Braunschweig. Exactly the right choice, as we know today.
After stints in Braunschweig, Ulm and Bamberg, where Theis won the championship three times and the cup once, the 2.03 meter man made the jump to the NBA in 2017. The German signed with the Celtics, where he stayed for four years and had a successful time. After stops in Chicago, Houston and again Boston, Theis ended up with the Indiana Pacers in 2022, where he is currently under contract. However, he only played seven games there last season. The big man was bothered by a knee injury for a long time, and towards the end of the season the team prioritized the development of young talent – Theis had to make do with the bench.
The professional, who is also socially committed and was awarded the Lower Saxony Basketball Association’s Golden Badge of Honor in July 2018 as an award for his “role model role for children and young people in Lower Saxony” as well as his social commitment, is now reaching for gold with the German national team. His 53rd international match should be a historic one, just like his 52nd was. “We have a goal in mind. We were in the semi-finals and then we want to win gold. That means everything to us,” said Theis on Friday.
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