Michigan center Moritz Wagner got the call Thursday night from another Michigan Man, Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, that his NBA dream had come true.
Wagner went to one of the league’s most storied franchises with the 25th pick overall, having worked out for the team “a couple of times” over the last several weeks. He didn’t shoot as well as he wanted to, he admitted after one of the workouts, but obviously did enough to convince the Lakers he was their guy.
“I had a feeling,” he said. “I had a couple workouts there and was [in step with] the staff and the players; it was a good atmosphere over there,” Wagner told reporters during a post-draft conference call. “So I think it worked out pretty well, and I’m very excited to be in this position.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t even worried about [how much I’ll play] yet … I just can’t stop smiling. I'm happy my dream came true and everything else. I’m going to worry about that later. I’m going to celebrate with my family and best friends who came out here [to New York]. I’m really enjoying this.”
As well he should, having risen from skinny European to first round draft pick in three years under head coach John Beilein. It’s a dream come true, in fact. Wagner told us in February he felt like ‘a genius’ when many back in Germany told him he was making a mistake going to the U.S. to play ball at Michigan.
He seemed to know something they didn’t, and he followed his heart.
“Growing up, I was a huge NBA fan. I remember getting up at 3 a.m. watching games,” he said. “Dirk [Nowitzki] had a huge impact on that, Dirk being a player that made it, had done incredible things in the league, being a player under the radar a long time, a skinny kid from Germany and somehow made it. It’s a dream very, very far away when you’re over there, and it’s exciting to be here now.”
It could be even more exciting. The Lakers are reportedly pursuing Cleveland’s LeBron James to join the team this summer, and there’s talk that it’s Los Angeles or the Cavs for the world’s best player.
Wagner is watching, but said it’s nothing he’s going to worry about. He’s just going to do his job and embrace it he said after getting the call from Pelinka.
“He said, ‘welcome to the Family.’ That means a lot,” Wagner said. “Rob Pelinka and I have a good relationship. I’m very excited to have a fellow Michigan man on my side. It’s going to be a really cool journey.”
And while he knows a few of the Lakers — he and Josh Hart share the same agent, so they’ve hung out a few times — he’s most excited to make new relationships the way he did when he first arrived at U-M.
“Kyle Kuzma is from Michigan, but other than that we don’t really have a relationship. I played against Lonzo [Ball] before, but I don’t really know him. The best part about it is getting to know new teammates.
“I’m very familiar with [the Lakers]. It’s a flashy franchise, they like to play fast … Coach [Luke] Walton used to play, as well, and he’s a player’s coach. He wants his players to make plays, play confident, play fast. It’s something I’m very excited to prove [I can do].”
First, though, he has a few more days to celebrate with smiles about his new opportunity.
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