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Germany's men's national basketball team's stock continues to rise ahead of this summer's Paris Olympics as it looks to secure its first-ever top-three finish.
This year marks Germany's seventh time competing in the men's Olympic basketball tournament. Through their first six appearances, the Germans failed to medal, with their best performances being three quarterfinal finishes (1984, 1992 and 2020).
However, in recent years, Germany, led by stars Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner, has become a burgeoning international powerhouse.
After securing a bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket, the Germans shocked the world by winning gold at last year's FIBA World Cup. Their title run included an unexpected 113-111 upset victory over Team USA in the tournament's semifinals.
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The World Cup win marked the country's first in seven appearances, elevating it from No. 11 to No. 3 in the FIBA World Rankings. Germany trails only Team USA, a 16-time Olympic gold medalist and Spain, a two-time World Cup champion. Thus, it appears poised to make history at this year's Olympics.
Germany challenged Team USA during pre-Olympic showcase matchup
Team USA's NBA superstar-studded roster is the prohibitive favorite to win another gold at the Paris Olympics. However, Germany again proved it could compete with the Americans during Monday's pre-Olympic showcase matchup in London.
The Germans, led by Franz Wagner's team-high 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, took a 71-68 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Team USA superstar forward LeBron James ultimately willed his team to victory. He scored the Americans' final 11 points to clinch a 92-88 win, finishing with a game-high 20 points.
"Somebody named LeBron James made some pretty good plays at the end," Germany coach Gordon Herbert said postgame.
However, despite James' late-game heroics, Germany was firmly in the game late with a legitimate chance to secure a victory. So, the close loss should only boost the Germans' confidence ahead of a potential rematch during the Olympics.
Germany and Team USA are in different groups to start the Olympic group stage. Germany is competing in Group B with Brazil, Japan and France. Meanwhile, the Americans are up against Puerto Rico, Serbia and South Sudan in Group C. So, they can't match up until the tournament's latter stages.
Nevertheless, FIBA again ranked Germany as Team USA's biggest threat in its latest 12-team Olympic power rankings. Over five exhibition contests, the Americans finished 5-0, while Germany went 3-2.
