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Franz Wagner said in passing, "You should go to the NBA." Isaac Bonga: "That's something so you have something to talk about," laughed Bonga, who is, of course, under contract with Partizan. The phone is hot, teammates from the black and white club are probably sending messages... "Now I just want to enjoy myself with my brothers here, to talk to my family, and then we'll see," added the German gold medalist with a broad smile.
"He's been in the NBA before, so he deserves to be in the NBA and I'm confident he can play there. At this level we're playing, the difference between the Euroleague and the NBA is minimal. If you ask me - of course Bonga can play in the NBA. Just give him a contract and a pen to sign. And I think that's true for a lot of European players. It's not like it's impossible. If you can shoot three-pointers well, if you have a high level of athleticism and a good body - you can play in the NBA, for sure, and Bonga has all that and can go to the NBA," concluded Lo for Meridian Sport .
It wasn't the first time Bonga did a good job defensively on Markkanen, and Germany's star Franz Wagner believes the former Los Angeles Lakers wing deserves another shot in the NBA. "Yes, I do believe it, actually," Wagner said after the game. "I think he's shown for a couple of years now that he's an elite defender, shoots the three really well, and can make some plays off the bounce too. So I think he could have a lot of teams interested in him."
However, Bonga himself wasn't so straightforward about his return to the NBA. "I think it's not really something I'm thinking right now," Bonga admitted. "I'm more focused on making sure we win in the finals."
Isaac Bonga: "Physically, I was never really lonely. There were always people around me — staff, teammates, people at the facility. But mentally, I just had the feeling that I was very, very lonely. And that’s something people outside this world don’t really see. They just see everything around us — the glamor, the team, the media — but they don’t see that mental aspect. Moritz said it too — we were both really young. I was 18, he was 21. You’re still developing mentally and physically. You get dropped into a city like LA, with LeBron James, and there are so many expectations, and at the same time, you don’t even know who you are yet. I think that’s something that really hit me. That feeling of being surrounded by people, but mentally you’re just alone."
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Germany finalized the 12-man roster for the 2025 EuroBasket upon completion of training camp games Saturday with a win over Spain. The players that compile the EuroBasket squad are the following: Isaac Bonga, Oscar Da Silva, Tristan Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner
Isaac Bonga potentially could be the next EuroLeague player to make an NBA move this summer, sources tell BasketNews. Despite recently signing a contract extension with Partizan Belgrade through 2027, the 25-year-old German forward remains eligible for an NBA move due to an exit clause included in the deal. Bonga, who last played in the league in 2022, remains on the radar of multiple NBA teams, per sources.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup winners handled business efficiently, defeating Japan 97-77 in their first game in Lille. Franz Wagner led the way with 22 points and six rebounds, achieving a PIR of 21. While he stood out in scoring, it was Daniel Theis who took MVP honors with a perfect shooting performance, going 7/7 from the field for 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds, resulting in a team-high PIR of 25. Dennis Schroder also made his mark, recording a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Moritz Wagner added 15 points and Isaac Bonga chipped in with 11 points.
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Battling for the top seed of Group K of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Germany overcame a poor start in dominating fashion and knocked down Slovenia, 100-71, in Okinawa Arena Sunday. Replying to the early run of Slovenia and Luka Doncic, Dennis Schroder paved the way with a 24-point, 10-assist double-double. Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Moritz Wagner and Niels Giffey threw in ten points apiece.
Head coach Gordon Herbert made his decisions regarding the World Cup squad Thursday, as shared by the German Basketball Federation via a press release attached to a video on the official YouTube portal. Isaac Bonga, Niels Giffey, Justus Hollatz, David Kramer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroeder, Daniel Theis, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner, and Moritz Wagner made the cut, announced the governing body of basketball in Germany.
After mentioning the examples of Isaac Bonga, Moritz Wagner, and Niels Giffey, Schroeder told that it would not be fair to others if Kleber suddenly came back to play for Germany. "It was weird to me, that's why I said and that's what I meant. I even told him what my statement meant, I stand by my words and I say what I think. That's the thing a lot of people like about me, there's no beef [between me and Maxi] or anything. I also know the media likes to twist things so they get more attention and views, I understand that, but it wasn't meant in a bad way at all," Schroder said. "As a captain, it's your job to stand up for your players. I don't think it's fair to other people who spent their summer playing for the national team when you weren't here to not be able to come because someone else decided to play a year after," he explained.
