FIBA World Cup 2023 final: Dennis Schroder inspires Germany to first world title
First-time finalists Germany came from behind to win a thrilling contest against Serbia in Manila, with both teams having already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Basketball
A Dennis Schroder-inspired Germany beat Serbia 83-77 to lift basketball's 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday, 10 September.
Despite going down 26-23 in the first quarter, the Germans, playing in their first-ever final, refused to be overawed by the occasion.
Inspired by the intensity of Isaac Bonga on both sides of the ball and Toronto Raptor Schroder's three-point magic, they responded by taking an early four-point lead in the second.
After weathering a rally from Serbia, the teams went into half-time locked at 47-47. The lead had changed hands 15 times by this point, a testament to a high quality, but even contest.
With a capacity crowd at fever pitch, Germany stepped on the gas in the third quarter to open up an 11-point lead when Serbia called a time-out.
Showing superior shooting accuracy from the likes of Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner, the Germans extended their lead to 69-57 at the buzzer.
Spearheaded by the brilliant Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia battled furiously in the fourth quarter to get back within three-points, but Germany survived the thrilling final minute to close out the match and spark wild celebrations on court.
After winning bronze at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, this is the first time in German basketball history that they've won major event medals in consecutive years.
Predictably, Schroder was awarded the prestigious FIBA World Cup MVP award, finishing with 28 points on the night, including the game winning shots.
Germany and Serbia have already secured Olympic quotas for Paris 2024 after making the semi-finals, as the top two-ranked European teams.
"It feels crazy, it hasn't really hit me yet," Bonga said after.
"It's amazing what we did. It's a special group. German basketball is going forwards and creating history like this... I think this is a stepping stone for the future of German basketball."
"We've earned the respect of the whole world."