Germany's capital was readying for the buzz of an NBA game as the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic trained on Wednesday ahead of their game Thursday.
Several of the Orlando players are German nationals and said they were excited to be bringing the game home.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will play regular-season games in Berlin and London this week to begin a three-year slate of NBA games in Europe. Future games will be played in Manchester and Paris in 2027 and in Berlin and Paris in 2028.
"I think basketball is already really big in Europe, to be honest. I mean, obviously soccer is still the number one sport, but you know the recent growth that we've seen, especially with with European players that play in the NBA and kind of dominate the NBA, I feel like that's a telltale sign of how much basketball is growing in Europe," German Orlando player Tristan da Silva said ahead of the game.
The game will be played at Berlin's Uber Arena, a 17,000 seat venue.
"I mean, Mo (Moritz) and Franz (Wagner) are World Cup champions and Euro Basket champions. They've done a lot here in this country. I expect tomorrow to be pretty crazy in here for them, for sure," Magic player Desmond Bane said.
Mo Wagner is one of three German players on the Magic roster — along with his younger brother, Franz, and Tristan da Silva — who have all played for the German national team. The Wagner brothers helped Germany win the 2023 FIBA World Cup, while Franz and da Silva were part of last summer's EuroBasket title run.
FROM 2023: Germany overcomes Serbia to become World Cup champions
Fans will also see a trio of young All-Stars in Orlando's Paolo Banchero (2024) and Memphis' Ja Morant ('22, '23) and Jaren Jackson Jr. ('23, '25).
The Magic (22-18) are sixth in the East and the Grizzlies (17-22) are 10th in the West.
As well as the European angle, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant's name continues to surface in trade rumors ahead of the NBA's deadline next month.
Morant, a former number two overall pick who has faced a number of suspensions over off the court antics in the past along with reported clashes with his current head coach, said Wednesday he would live with it, should the Grizzlies decide to move him as reports surfaced he prefers the Miami Heat as a destination.
He also denied there is friction with Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo, who pointed to Morant's health -- and not their relationship -- as the reason he's not in the starting lineups.
Sidelined since January 2, Morant, 26, has a right calf contusion and it's unclear when he'll play his 19th game of the season.
Morant's current contract -- a five-year, $197 million deal -- expires after the 2027-28 season. He's eligible for a three-year, $178 million extension next summer.
Without signing him to an extension, any team taking on Morant at the February trade deadline would owe him the balance of his existing deal: the remainder of his $39.4 million salary for the current season, $42.1 million next season and $44.9 million for 2027-28.
(Production - Oliver Barth, Max Schwarz, Tanya Wood, Laura Uracca-Makuch)