Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner did not play on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans due to illness. Wagner is also recovering from a left knee injury. Even without one of their best players, the Pelicans had a 128-118 win over the Pelicans, thanks to the 27-point outing from Desmond Bane. The shooting guard led the team in scoring, adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Point guard Anthony Black had 26 points, seven assists and three steals for the Magic. All-Star forward Paolo Banchero also had a major contribution with 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. While the German forward did not suit up against the Pelicans, there was another Wegner who was on the floor on Sunday night: Moe Wagner.
It was Wagner’s first game back since suffering aseason-ending torn left ACL on Dec. 21, 2024. After more than a year of rehab and recovery, the older brother was back on the floor. Following the contest, the younger player revealed his reaction after seeing his brother’s season-debut.
“It was awesome to see him back out there,” Franz Wagner said. “I’m kind of in the same boat with Moe. I’m relieved that everything went well, that he had a good game and I think the whole family was nervous going into today.”
The fans gave Wagner a standing ovation when he first checked into the game. He played nine minutes and had eight points on 42.9% shooting.
Before he was injured, Wagner was playing well as a backup player. He had a chance to become a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Through 30 games, he averaged 12.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg on 56.2% shooting.
Franz Wagner’s brother comments after his first game back
It was a special moment for Franz Wagner’s brother to be back with his teammate after more than a year of absence. After the game, he talked to reporters about how it felt to play basketball again.
“I honestly, tried to stay away from the emotional part, to the best that I can,” Wagner said. “Just another day, and then you have a game today.
"It means a lot to me."
Moe Wagner on his return 💙 https://t.co/zltw41T2cv pic.twitter.com/FCwl7eITpP
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 11, 2026
“It means a lot to me, I’m kind of relieved now I got it over with. I’m excited that we got it over with and now we can just act like it never happened.”
On Thursday, the Wagner brothers have a chance to play in Germany, as the Magic will face the Memphis Grizzlies at the Uber Arena.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
