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Michigan's Wager taken by Magic, Livers by Pistons
By: Mike Stiles - Tuesday, August 31, 2021

(left to right) Franz Wager and Isaiah Livers (photos courtesy of M Go Blue)

(UNDATED) - University of Michigan men's basketball sophomore guard Franz Wagner was selected by the Orlando Magic in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft Thursday night at Barclays Center. Senior guard/forward Isaiah Livers was chosen in the second round (42nd overall) by the Detroit Pistons. Wagner's selection gives Michigan its 18th lottery selection as well as its seventh first-round pick in the last nine drafts. Since 2013, the Wolverines have had nine first-round picks and 11 total. Along with his brother, Moritz (Los Angeles Lakers; No. 25, 2018), the Wagners become the 87th pair of brothers to play in the NBA. After following his brother from Berlin to Ann Arbor, Franz Wagner spent two seasons with the Wolverines before electing to leave early for the NBA. He started 55 consecutive games, scoring 661 points (12.0 ppg), grabbing 334 rebounds (6.1 rpg) and racking up 33 double-figure games (six 20+) and four double-doubles. In 2020-21, Wagner helped the Maize and Blue to a 23-5 record and the program's 15th Big Ten title with a 14-3 record. The All-Big Ten second teamer had a career season with 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, leading U-M with 35 steals and finishing second with 29 blocks. Coming to Ann Arbor from Kalamazoo, Livers, a Mr. Basketball in Michigan, played in 118 career games at U-M and was 13 points shy of reaching 1,000 (987) for his career before a right-foot injury halted his senior year in the postseason. During his four-year career, he recorded 44 double-figure games with nine games of 20-plus points. Livers finished with 164 three-pointers, 453 rebounds and 110 assists. With Livers, Michigan had a 105-32 record, as he helped U-M win a second straight Big Ten Tournament title in 2018 and a conference title in 2021, while posting two seasons with 30 wins or more, advancing to three straight NCAA Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights (2018, '21) and the 2018 Final Four and national title game.



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