Gordon Herbert reveals he received message from Chancellor Olaf Scholz / News - Basketnews.com

After the win in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, Germany national team head coach Gordon Herbert revealed he received a message from Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Herbert believes it shows what this achievement means for the whole of Germany.

Credit: FIBA, IMAGO/Chris Emil Janssen-Scanpix Credit FIBA, IMAGO/Chris Emil Janssen-Scanpix

Germany national team head coach Gordon Herbert was preparing for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 final.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Johannes Voigtmann Points 12 Accuracy 4-5 Rebounds 8 Assists 3

It was business as usual. Practice in the early morning, then the morning practice with the team, and a nap before the biggest game of his career.

But then, someone interrupted Herbert's nap.

"We had a morning practice and a nap. I woke up from my nap, and all of a sudden, I got a message from the German chancellor Olaf Scholz," Herbert revealed in the post-game conference. "It's pretty surreal."

"I had to read a true quote, it was in German. I had to translate it a little bit. It was pretty neat. It interrupted my nap, and I couldn't go back to sleep. It just shows what it meant for Germany in a way.

I've always been a fan of Chancellor Merkel and Chancellor Scholz. Two best leaders in our world today. Not so hard when Donald Trump is there, but I guess it's a different story," Herbert said, making all the press conference room laugh.

During the FIBA World Cup, there was a big story in Germany about how the national team's games were not accessible to a wider audience on the national broadcaster.

Most German viewers couldn't watch the tournament without paying a subscription to Magenta Sport, even though the platform offered the national team's games for free.

However, just before the final, ZDF, Germany's national broadcaster, bought the rights to broadcast the game.

"Like Dennis said, I think our games should have been on normal [public] TV [channel] from the get-go. Hopefully, from now on, they recognize what kind of team this is and how this represents Germany," Herbert concluded.

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