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PALMA (FIBA World Championship) - Veteran Denis Wucherer has retired from the German national team less than a month before the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

The 33-year-old revealed his decision to coach Dirk Bauermann at the team's training camp in Mallorca.

"Denis came to me and reasoned his decision that he noticed some physical problems during the training drills," Bauermann said on the German federation's website.

"The burden was too much. He couldn't deal with it with his age and he said he doesn't want to stand in the way of younger players."

Wucherer steps down after playing 123 games for Germany and competing in four European Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2005. He averaged almost
seven points per game for Germany.

His first international match came in November 1994 against Lithuania, while his last was the final against Greece at the 2005 EuroBasket, where he helped Germany win the silver medal.

PA Sport