Isaac Bonga, a member of the German national team heading to EuroBasket 2025 with gold-medal ambitions, spoke in an interview for Basketball Sphere.
After a strong season with Partizan, he is once again ready to be one of the key figures for Germany, playing an important role on both ends of the floor.
His importance to this team, and the fact that he’s every coach’s favorite, is best illustrated by Gordon Herbert’s public statement that he regretted being “late” with Bayern’s signing of him—because his primary idea was to keep Bonga. Zeljko Obradovic, who insisted on bringing him to Partizan, also never hid his admiration for him. The value Bonga brings on both ends often flies under the radar, but great coaches never fail to notice it.
The Herbert–Bonga duo worked brilliantly in the German national team. Still, the coach stepped down after three very successful years. During that time, Germany won bronze at the last EuroBasket, became World Champions in Manila, and finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Paris last summer.
A new coach, with medals as his trademark
Alex Mumbru has now taken over as head coach—a man who knows very well how to win medals at the national team level. He owns as many as seven medals from international competitions. This is also the biggest challenge of his coaching career, something we also discussed with Bonga.
Looking strictly at the numbers, Isaac Bonga doesn’t stand out as much as some of his teammates. After the clear leaders Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner, the hierarchy usually lists Andreas Obst, Daniel Theis, Maodo Lo, and others ahead of him. But what the versatile forward brings to the floor can’t simply be measured by stats.
He’s one of those players coaches love to have. He can knock down threes at a 50% clip, defend every position on the court, stay active on the offensive glass, and doesn’t demand the ball—making him useful in every possible way. Perhaps the simplest way to describe Isaac Bonga is to call him a “glue guy”—the kind of player who is the heartbeat of a team, doing the hard work on both offense and defense.
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Claim Now In recent years, Germany has managed to build an impressive consistency of strong performances. After winning bronze at EuroBasket 2022, you became world champions a year later, and then finished fourth at the Olympic Games. Now, expectations are high—from the sporting public to the fans in Germany, and your rivals are well aware of your quality.
How difficult is it to handle that now, after a long and exhausting three-year stretch has finally brought results, and you are no longer seen as a surprise? Out of all those achievements, is there a specific game you remember as the turning point—one that gave the whole locker room a boost, where you looked at each other and thought: “Okay, we are ready for big things!”
“For me personally, there wasn’t really that one moment when I thought, “Okay, now we’re ready for big things.” I think the key factors were all the years of hard work we had put in, and the arrival of Coach Gordon Herbert. Everyone individually kept getting better, guys were taking on bigger roles than before, and we found that connection through all the years we’ve spent together.
It’s really been one big process that has led us to perform at our peak, as individuals and as a team. We’re trying to stay consistent while still pushing to improve. I believe every one of us gets a huge boost of confidence when we put on that Germany jersey. Like you said, now everyone is aware of the quality we bring as a team, and we’re going into EuroBasket 2025 with that mindset” said Isaac Bonga.
🤔 Is there a team in the EuroBasket that is able to match 🇷🇸 Serbia?
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) August 23, 2025
🇮🇹🎙️ Gianmarco Pozzecco, who did an interview for Basketball Sphere, certainly thinks so… pic.twitter.com/V03DmLTh2J
If we take a look at the competition, you are once again considered the main favorite in your group. Still, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Finland with Lauri Markkanen all have great quality. It’s always important to go step by step, especially with a tournament format that allows early mistakes to be corrected before the knockout stage.
You’ll play the group stage in Finland, then travel to Riga if everything goes according to plan. How do you feel about this kind of multi-country tournament organization? For example, some teams will play in Cyprus at 40°C before traveling to Riga. Traveling can take its toll, especially now that club seasons are longer and more demanding—what’s your take on all this?
“EuroBasket is such an important tournament that you really have no choice but to go game by game, no matter who the opponent is. Whether it’s Finland, Montenegro, or anyone else, you can’t chalk up wins in advance. What we focus on is ourselves—taking the next game, step by step.
Obviously, the travel part will be tough, like going from Cyprus to Latvia. But everyone has to travel, that’s something every team will have to deal with. The challenge is to prepare for it mentally and physically, and then find a way to reset properly once you change environments.”
Alex Mumbru has arrived as the replacement for Gordon Herbert, who had established a certain authority and created a family-like atmosphere. It’s clear that coach Mumbru now carries a heavy responsibility, but from a tactical perspective—what are the similarities and differences?
Has the system established under Coach Herbert been kept tactically intact, or have the foundations remained the same while the new coach adds his own touch? What’s your first impression regarding this coaching change?
“From my perspective, both coaches are similar in the way they give players love and confidence. Alex Mumbru is the type of coach who can recharge you with the right approach, and he has the patience to do it. That really builds confidence, and that’s something I’ve already noticed with him.
He puts in a lot of effort to make us all feel like we’re part of one big family—not just on the court, in practices, or during games, but also off the court. That’s really important for team chemistry and atmosphere, and he’s very good at it.” Isaac Bonga explained.
In recent years, it has seemed that all players enjoyed themselves on the court regardless of role or minutes, with everyone ready to give their maximum at any moment. In the world of sports, the “German mentality” is a well-known concept in football—can you say a bit more about how that translates to basketball, and how much the national basketball team has adopted from the football side?
“I wouldn’t say we’ve taken over the so-called German mentality from football. It’s more about the fact that we have a really special team. Everyone is comfortable with the role they have, nobody lets their ego get in the way, and everything we do is for the team. When you have players with that kind of character, who are all willing to sacrifice for the group, that’s what I would highlight the most.”
Dirk Nowitzki is an icon of the German national team and is often present in the stands during your games. Are you in contact with him, and during all these recent successes, has he ever visited the locker room to give a motivational speech or had a special impact on the team?
“Dirk Nowitzki is a true icon in Germany. I don’t have personal contact with him, but it’s always great to see him at our games. Just his presence makes those games more special, and it’s a huge support for all of us.”
Who is the “quiet leader” of this Germany team? Is there someone whose authority is crucial for the rest of the roster—aside from the coach, which is of course expected? And one last question: what is the most memorable moment for the national team over the past three years?
“I wouldn’t say we really have a “quiet leader.” Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner are the ones who step into that leadership role, showing the willingness to guide us. As for memories, I can’t really pick out just one specific moment or experience.
Everything that’s happened at the major tournaments in recent years is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Every single moment and every experience has been special. Honestly, every time I come to a national team camp, that’s already a special moment for me—so it’s impossible to single out just one,” Isaac Bonga concluded in interview to Basketball Sphere.
