Wagner brothers living their dream

Franz Wagner fell in love with basketball as a kid in Germany when he went with his older brother, Moritz, to watch an under-I9 game in Berlin.

- By ROB MAADDI

JOHN RAOUX Associated Press

FRANZ WAGNER, left, and brother, Moe, are in their fifth season playing together for Orlando.

The Wagner brothers hadn't even thought about playing professionally. Local hoops was their first exposure to the sport and they were hooked.

Fellow German Dirk Nowitzki became their connection to the NBA. Watching documentaries on Dwyane Wade and Kevin Garnett got their attention.

Now they're in their fifth season as teammates on the Orlando Magic.

“I remember our grandparents built a little basket in front of the house, and we would always play no matter the weather,” Moe Wagner said. “And then I think Franz got a LeBron James Cavaliers jersey for Christmas, and I got a Kevin Garnett jersey, one of those nonauthentic fake jerseys. And I wore them to every practice. I wanted to wear the gear. I wanted to be part of that lifestyle, and that is when we started watching YouTube videos and games and we kind of became obsessed with that idea of maybe wanting to do that ourselves as well.”

Playing basketball came easier for the Wagners than soccer or other sports.