The Magic Insider

'They're Going To Be So Much Fun': Olympic Broadcasters Reveal Excitement to Watch Orlando Magic This Season

Noah Eagle and Dwyane Wade, the voices of the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament, heaped praise on the Orlando Magic during Saturday's broadcast of the bronze medal game between Germany and Serbia.

Mason Williams

Jul 27, 2024: Dwyane Wade looks on from the media bench during the first half between Canada and Greece during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
Jul 27, 2024: Dwyane Wade looks on from the media bench during the first half between Canada and Greece during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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As Germany has gone on its pursuit of a first-ever Olympic medal in men's basketball this summer at the Paris Olympic Games, the Orlando Magic's Franz and Moritz Wagner have been integral parts in the Germans' process.

The Magic's duo of German brothers each have served differing roles on the squad. Franz starts and is one of Germany's main offensive options – one often sought out to hit big shots with the ability to drive and create his looks or facilitate for others. When he's on his best game, so too is Germany.

Off the bench, Mo plays impact minutes in spurts as one of the bigs in Germany's frontcourt rotation. Johannes Voigtmann, Daniel Theis and Wagner split the share of minutes as screeners and scorers with defensive roaming capabilities.

In particular, Franz has opened a lot of eyes around the basketball world globally as to what he's capable of. As a whole, Orlando doesn't see the same national attention in the United States as many of their counterparts around the NBA, and even less so internationally. So for Franz to have a strong summer on the world's biggest stage for basketball, and athletics in general, it only helps turn more people on to the idea of wanting to see him more.

Among the high-profile new fans? Dwyane Wade, whose courtside seat has allowed him to get his first real experience watching Wagner in action.

"I put on my Instagram that I've just become a big fan of Franz Wagner," Wade told BasketNews earlier in the tournament. "You don't get to see the Orlando Magic a lot on TV. So to be able to see him up close and personal, we just saw something pretty special.

"This guy has a big, bright future in front of him. So just the chance to sit there and watch the pros do what they do best... it's incredible."

Wagner reposted Wade's praise to his own account, saying he was "the biggest DWade fan growing up."

During Saturday morning's Germany-Serbia game in which Wagner and company were going for the country's first-ever Olympic medal, the praise continued from Wade and his broadcast partner Noah Eagle – a pairing who have been quite enjoyable to listen to during the entirety of the Olympics.

Eagle made note that he was still in awe of a dunk Wagner threw down in the group phase contest versus France, where he elevated over three French defenders for what is a strong contender for dunk of the tournament.

Wade chimed in with approval and support of one of his new favorite players.

"He definitely has me excited to tune in to watch Orlando Magic basketball this next upcoming season," Wade said.

"Oh, they're going to be so much fun," Eagle responded. "We mentioned the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope addition, but KCP along with Paolo Banchero, who is a budding star, and Jalen Suggs took a major step forward."

The Magic are coming off a season where they won 47 games throughout the regular season, finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and won the Southeast Division. They went on to push the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated from contention.

Should more improvement be on the table in 2024-25, expect Franz, who just signed a 5-year, $224 million extension this summer, to play a pivotal role.

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Mason Williams

MASON WILLIAMS