Dennis Schröder has been an NBA journeyman in his 12-year career. He’s played for nine teams already, and he’s about to play for his 10th after signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Sacramento Kings. He’s certainly not a star, but he’s been a good player at every stop along the way.
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Internationally, Schröder’s play has always gone up a level. Maybe he just likes FIBA rules more than the NBA, or maybe he just loves playing for his native Germany, but whatever the reason, he always brings his best when it’s time to play for his country.
Germany won the 2023 FIBA World Cup behind Schröder’s strong performance. He averaged 19.1 points and 6.1 assists in the tournament, and in the final against Serbia, he dropped a game-high 28.
Despite leading his country to glory, Schröder believes that he’ll never receive the same kind of love as Dirk Nowitzki, arguably the greatest German player of all time. In a recent interview with German weekly news magazine Stern, he revealed why.
“When I was 14, I sat in front of the TV watching Dirk Nowitzki carry the flag at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing,” he said. “Back then I thought, ‘How cool, there’s no greater honor.’ It’s a great honor, but for me it will never be the same as for Dirk. I will never receive the same love in this country, because I am dark-skinned.”
Schröder’s comments have drawn some ridicule from the online masses, who have correctly pointed out that he just isn’t as good as the Mavericks legend.
“If Michael Jordan was German, he would get more love than Dirk in Germany, so this sounds like a skill issue to me,” said one X poster.
Schröder never actually said he was as good as Dirk, just that he would not receive the same love because of his skin tone. Black athletes around the world often have to deal with race issues.
Russell Westbrook famously got into it with a Utah Jazz fan whom he claimed made racist comments. That fan was later banned for life. Earlier this season, Angel Reese accused Indiana Fever fans of doing the same. Though a WNBA investigation didn’t turn up anything, this was far from the only time an accusation like this has been made.
Dirk Nowitzki won an NBA championship and retired as a top-20 player of all time. Regardless of his heritage, that’s something Schröder will never achieve, even if he continues to lead Germany to international glory.
Fans can watch Schröder and the rest of Europe’s best players, including Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic, vie for the Eurobasket title when tournament play commences next week on Courtside 1891.
