Center Johannes Voigtmann wept in the arms of national coach Henrik Rödl, the missing NBA star Dennis Schröder cheered his teammates from the stands.

The German basketball professionals have fulfilled their dream of participating in the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008 with an impressive amount of energy.

Rödl's team won the final of the qualifying tournament against Brazil on Sunday in Split with 75:64 (36:34) and secured the ticket to Tokyo driven by spectator Schröder.

After their triumph, all players applauded the Los Angeles Lakers' development player, Schröder had to pass the tournament at short notice due to unresolved insurance issues.

For a group photo, the entire team gathered behind a symbolic ticket for the trip to the Japanese capital.

Moritz Wagner with 28 points

The best German thrower against strong South Americans was NBA professional Moritz Wagner with 28 points, who was also named the most valuable player of the tournament.

The last time the German Basketball Federation was selected was 13 years ago in Beijing with superstar and flag bearer Dirk Nowitzki at the Olympic Games.

Solvable tasks await the German team in Tokyo.

In Group B, the DBB selection meets Australia, Nigeria and Serbia or Italy, who faced each other in the final of the qualifying tournament in Belgrade on Sunday evening.

The preliminary round begins on July 25th with a duel against Serbia or Italy.

The German team had to do without Isaac Bonga in the Spaladium Arena.

The NBA pro twisted in the semifinals against Croatia on Saturday and had to pass.

Rödl relied on experience in his starting five and brought, among other things, the Berlin Maodo Lo, who had surpassed the tournament host with 29 points the day before.

Focus on the defensive

The DBB selection started well and scored the first two threesomes.

Then the expected tough fight developed against the South Americans, who had previously won all of their three games in Split by more than 25 points.

Both teams had to work hard for every point, defensive trump card as expected.

After the first quarter Germany was just behind (14:17), the dream of the Olympics lived on.

Especially when Germany got out of the third break and Wagner made a strong signal with a cracking dunking at 23:19 and forced the Brazilians to take a break.

Germany then moved up to eleven points (34:23).

In the last minutes of the second quarter, however, the Brazilians shortened again, so that everything was still open at the break (36:34).

But Germany was not deterred by the Brazilian race to catch up. The South Americans took the lead briefly, but then the German team, led by Wagner, pulled away a little. Before the final section, the German team was six points ahead. Even in the last ten minutes it was a tough fight for every throw. Germany was able to slowly pull away and was again comfortably ahead at 67:56 just under three minutes before the end. In the final phase, Captain Robin Benzing & Co. kept their nerve, the rest was just pure joy.