Very few players in basketball have been as impactful for their country as Dennis Schroder has been for Germany, guiding the national team to unprecedented success in recent years. But is international glory alone enough to warrant consideration for the Hall of Fame? That’s been the debate lately.
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Last week, Schroder led Germany to its first EuroBasket title since 1993, also winning the tournament MVP award in the process. This achievement was preceded by a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Olympics (Germany’s best-ever result) and a FIBA World Cup win in 2023, where Schroder was also the MVP.
Unfortunately, the Sacramento Kings guard’s NBA career has been quite uneventful, and he’s largely been a journeyman. Averaging just 13.9 points per game since making his debut in 2013, Schroder hasn’t even made it to the All-Star. Richard Jefferson, however, doesn’t think the Basketball Hall of Fame should solely depend on achievements in the NBA.
On the Road Trippin’ podcast, Jefferson noted that Schroder‘s resume is more than good enough for basketball immortality.
“Let’s be clear. It is the Basketball Hall of Fame, not the NBA Hall of Fame. It is your basketball career. While his NBA career is one, there are guys that have made it in the Hall of Fame purely based off their international play only. There are international guys that have made it into the NBA. There are NBA players with combined international play have put them into the Hall of Fame,” stated the 2016 NBA Champ.
Jefferson wasn’t done. He argued that it was very “American” to discount international achievements, but these things absolutely matter. “If you go international and you’ve won EuroLeague and you’ve won a world championship. Winning a world championship in all of the countries and then going and winning the EuroLeague, those are huge things. We don’t look at it from our perspective. That’s an American thing.”
“But outside of America, where there’s more people that play basketball in the world than play in this country, those two things are gigantic,” the ex-Cleveland Cavaliers man added.
The pool of worldwide talent is deeper than it has ever been. And if you look at today’s NBA landscape, many of the best players are non-American, a point Jefferson emphasizes.
“We need to start giving credit to what these leagues are. He’s going against Jokic-es and Giannis-es. The best players in the world are playing over there. Let’s be honest. The best players in the world are playing for their countries in the EuroLeague. The best players in the world are not always here in the United States.”
Jefferson is not the only one who thinks Schroder is a lock. Dennis’s ex-teammate, newly inducted Hall of Famer Dwight Howard, took to X shortly after Germany’s win to hype up the 32-year-old. “Dennis Schroder making a case for the Hall of Fame,” wrote Superman.
Dennis Schroeder making a case for the Hall of Fame
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) September 16, 2025
At the end of the day, Schroder’s case comes down to how you define greatness in basketball. If you’re only looking at his NBA numbers, it’s easy to dismiss the conversation entirely.
But when you factor in his international dominance, leading Germany to the top twice in back-to-back years, it’s hard not to see the Hall of Fame potential. Whether or not he gets the call, Schroder has already carved out a legacy that stretches far beyond the box score, and that alone makes his career one worth celebrating.
