In a game featuring 16 NBA players, it was the EuroLeague hooper who shone the brightest.
Andreas Obst, who plays for FC Bayern Munich, seized the spotlight in the semifinals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and guided an underdog Germany squad to a stunning 113-11 victory over Team USA last Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Obst posted a game-high 24 points, including four significant three-pointers, along with six assists to lead the Mannschaft to their first-ever finals appearance in the FIBA World Cup.
While it was undeniably a great feeling for the 27-year-old shooting guard, he still deflected the credit to his teammates, who had been nothing but impressive in the match against some of the world’s best basketball players.
“It is a great feeling to have this opportunity to have such a good game. But, in the end, it was a team achievement,” said Obst, who was part of the Brose Bamberg team that won the BBL championship in 2016.
“I wouldn’t have been that open or couldn’t have played that offense without the big guys and the guards. Also, we played good defense, we rebounded the ball, and we ran a lot.”
In addition to making it to the finals for the first time, the Germans also secured their first-ever win against the Americans after losing their past three encounters in the FIBA World Cup.
And the 27-year-old German earned praise from Team USA head coach Steve Kerr after the game.
“It sounds crazy but the first offensive rebound of the game, which is you got to box out right from the beginning and set the tone. Obst knocked down a three off the offensive rebound and the whole game just opened up for him,” said Kerr.
“I thought he was the key of the game, actually.”
Definitely, basketball has gone global and Obst is a testament to that.
