Daniel Theis Returns to German National Basketball Team for Euro Qualifiers

World Champion Daniel Theis has been named to the roster of the German national basketball team for the first time since the Olympic Games in Paris. National coach Álex Mumbrú selected the 32-year-old for the final Euro Qualification game on February 23 in Bamberg against Bulgaria, as announced by the German Basketball Federation (DBB). Prior to that, the team will face Montenegro in Podgorica, where Theis will not be present.

According to reports, Theis is on the verge of transferring from the NBA to AS Monaco, although an official confirmation of his return to Europe has yet to be made. However, Monaco has been listed as his new club in the DBB roster. His move from the NBA allows him to participate in the Euro Qualifiers, unlike NBA players such as Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner, who will also miss the matches, as they did in November.

Theis transitioned to the NBA from Bamberg in 2017, playing for the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans. Recently, he was traded from the Pelicans to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the club had no use for him.

Like former NBA player Theis, Euroleague players from Alba Berlin and FC Bayern Munich will also be facing the new national coach from Spain for the first time, as they were unavailable in November. Mumbrú succeeded World Champion coach Gordon Herbert after the Olympics.

In the standings, Germany currently sits in second place with two wins and two losses, one point behind Montenegro. Sweden, like the German team, has six points. The top three teams from the four-team group will qualify for the Euro Championship, which will take place from August 27 to September 14 in Finland, Poland, Cyprus, and Latvia.