Franz Wagner dedicates EuroBasket victory to brother Moe

Franz Wagner had reached the apex of his career to this point. There is clearly still some mountain ahead, but a second trophy and gold medal are a high point in his career.

He was preparing to accept a gold medal for the second time in his international playing career and was set to be named to the tournament's All-Star Five.

Wagner, though, was making sure to share his spotlight moment. He was making sure he could honor the player that was not there.

Franz came to the floor after the game ended wearing a white No. 13 jersey backward. The name on the front is far more important than the name on the back.

The name on the front was simple: "Moritz."

Franz was making sure to honor his brother, who could not join the national team for another tournament run as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in December. He wanted to make sure he was honoring his brother.

"I mean, that's why I'm wearing a jersey," Franz Wagner said (h/t Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews). "Obviously, he had a tough injury, and he's trying to get back as fast as possible. Couldn't be here, but I think everybody on the team knows that he's part of the group. It's part of what we're building."

Franz and Moe are very close. They were nearly inseparable ever since Franz joined the Orlando Magic, where Moe was already playing. They continued to live together through Franz's early seasons.

They continued to spend their summers together too. In The Wagner Bros. documentary, they were together training in Los Angeles during the offseason before heading to the World Cup together with the German national team. They played in the Paris Olympics together.

Moe not being able to play in EuroBasket was a major loss for them.

That did not keep Moe from celebrating the victory. He was part of German broadcaster Magenta Sport's broadcast of the tournament, joining their pre- and postgame shows via Zoom. He hopped on for an interview with Franz in the mixed zone after the game, too.

Moe was living and dying with the tense final as much as anyone was.

Moe was still very much a part of this team. It was not just the fraternal relationship with Franz. This German national team was successful because of how close they are and how well they ahve played together.

Germany withstood adversity throughout the tournament because of how much they trusted each other. They knew where everyone was going to be and how to pick each other up. That is something built over years of playing together.

This was a true team, lacking the superstars that other teams in EuroBasket had. Their success was built on the trust they had in each other and the camaraderie that has built this incredible four-year run for Germany -- a bronze in the 2022 EuroBasket, gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, fourth place at the 2024 Paris Olympics and gold at the 2025 EuroBasket.

This team has deserved a summer of rest to regroup to defend their World Cup title in Qatar in 2027. By then, the team will surely have Moe Wagner back from injury. They also will likely welcome in center Isaiah Hartenstein plus several young prospects coming through the pipeline in Germany.

What mattered was that Franz and this German team were not going to let Moe be left out. He may not have played or received his medal, but he is a big part of this team.

Franz will rejoin Moe in Orlando in two weeks as the two resume playing together for the Orlando Magic. It is not yet clear when Moe will return from his knee injury. He suffered the injury in late December. It seems likely his return will come a little more than a quarter of the way through the season.

It will be a joyous reunion to have them both on the court playing together again. They will have some time to make up and another championship to win.