Hannes Steinbach will be an NBA player in a few weeks. However, the Würzburg native is still waiting for his debut with the national team—and for scheduling reasons, that’s likely to remain the case for now.
All signs point to Steinbach being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft on June 23. Quite a few even think the Würzburg native has a chance of being selected in the lottery—that is, among the first 14 players. He would be only the fourth German to achieve this, following Franz Wagner, Detlef Schrempf, and Dirk Nowitzki.
But we’re not there yet. Steinbach is not yet an NBA player, and the 20-year-old has not yet played a senior international game for the German national team. National team coach Alex Mumbru would have liked to have nominated the then-Würzburg player for the EuroBasket preparations, as he revealed to basketball-world.news in July 2025, but his college commitments prevented this.
Similar scheduling conflicts are also on the horizon this summer. The DBB team will play two World Cup qualifying games against Israel and Cyprus in early July, but this conflicts with the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. This is where rookies traditionally get their first chance to show what they can do for their new teams, and where they also get to know their future teammates better.
Steinbach: In touch with Mumbru
“I met with Alex [Mumbru] in Chicago in March,” Steinbach revealed during a conference call. “I’d love to play and get to know the team, but the two windows this summer don’t work well for me.” Nevertheless, the big man didn’t rule out the possibility that it might work out in August, when the Supercup and the next World Cup qualifiers are scheduled. “I’ll have to see how things go with the team that drafts me,” Steinbach explained.
In August, the DBB team will feature significantly more prominent players; among others, Dennis Schröder has signaled his willingness to be available, according to the association. After all, assistant coach Alen Ibrahimagic already knows Steinbach very well. The interim coach at EuroBasket previously also coached the U18 team, which won gold at the 2024 European Championship in Finland and silver at the World Championship in Switzerland a year later. In addition to Steinbach, key players included Christian Anderson Jr. and Jack Kayil, all of whom are registered for the upcoming draft.
