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Dennis Schroeder: In my second year, I was close to going into the GM’s office and telling them they should trade me, because I wasn’t satisfied with my playing time and with the fact that they had me sitting on the bench. The year before that—or rather, the summer before that—I really wasn’t in Germany at all and had only been grinding, to show people that I really wanted to play and was ready to play. And then I got angry. Darvin Ham took me into his office. He had actually ordered soup for himself, then split the soup, put it down, and then sat down and said, ‘Hey, what’s going on with you, actually?’ And then he gave me a quote—and we’d probably have to bleep it, because I don’t want kids seeing that I’m cursing and using swear words—but he said, ‘You have to go through the shit to get to the good.’
Now a free agent, the Sibenik native tallied 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for Croatia in a home-and-away series against Germany. While he is ineligible for the current EuroLeague season due to registration deadlines, he is actively seeking a bridge contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 schedule to prepare for next year. “I’m waiting, I don’t know what to say,” he admitted. “I wanted a contract until the end of this season, plus the season after. So that I could get into some kind of rhythm, play the championship finals, and get ready for next season to show whether I’m the one or not. That hasn’t happened for now.”
Sources say Cleveland, meanwhile, passed on taking back Monk's contract in the Hunter deal rather than Schröder … although it certainly didn't hurt that Schröder has experienced no shortage of national team success with Germany. That is said to have appealed to Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who on top of his own FIBA experiences knows Schröder from their time together in Atlanta.
"Our idea is to create this league – call it 12 to 16 teams – with the biggest countries having permanent franchises. Call it the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, or France. Two teams in each one of those markets that we know with certainty will have franchises there, and then we'll open it up to the rest of the ecosystem."
James, yesterday at the NBA game in Germany, your former teammate Dwight Howard was asked about some players in the Spanish league. One of the players he was asked about was Sergio Llull. "Who?" Harden asked. -Sergio Llull- "I don't remember," said the star, even though the point guard's name was repeated several times. "Don't you remember? He told a story in the summer, he recalled a story about how Houston wanted to sign him and you personally called him to convince him to go to Houston, but he ultimately decided to stay at Real Madrid." "I don't know the story," Harden said to end the discussion, not wanting to talk about it much despite being in a good mood after his performance leading the Clippers' comeback from an 18-4 deficit.
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Iisalo tagged up when he led teams in Germany and France before coming to the NBA. He’s implemented many of those concepts in his new home. The Grizzlies send at least three crashers to the glass on 18.8 percent of their shots, the fourth-highest frequency in the league. “It’s very hard to get into the low 120s in offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) without the offensive rebounding,” Iisalo said. “That’s what it takes to be an elite offensive team nowadays.”
Tatum also laid out countries that will likely host the 10-to-12 permanent NBA Europe franchises, identifying France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece. He also specifically singled out potential Euroleague clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and LDLC ASVEL (owned by former NBAer Tony Parker). “Almost like the Champions League of basketball in Europe,” Tatum said. “So brands like Real Madrid and Barca and Man City and PSG and AC Milan playing basketball. That’s pretty compelling. Not only premium live sports content that’s relevant in Europe, but it’s relevant globally. It’s relevant in Asia, it’s relevant in the United States and North America because some of the brands that we’re talking to have tremendous global followings.” He also mentioned there would likely be a bridge year before four other teams qualify for the league in Year 2, saying, “If you’re in Lithuania, if you’re in Serbia, if you’re in Croatia, other clubs in those markets, we want every team to have an opportunity to play into that top tier league.”
On September 12, Turkiye routed Greece in the EuroBasket Semifinals, before falling to Germany and settling with a silver medal. Greece and Giannis went on to capture bronze. In contrast to one-sided traffic in Riga’s Xiaomi Arena, ensuing statements created tension between Sengun and Giannis, with both players later apologizing for their actions. “I got motivation in every game now. I want to win in every game. I want to be a winning player. I don’t care who’s on the other team,” Sengun further downplayed any kind of lasting strain in his relationship with the 30-year-old Greek point forward.
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Also, while speaking about the markets with permanent franchises, he named seven countries. “In phase one, our plan is Spain, UK, France, Italy, Germany, maybe Turkey, and maybe Greece. But there will be some open spots in the ecosystem, so in the early phase, they will be able to qualify,” he replied to a question about NBA Europe featuring teams from Israel and the Middle East, which, for the moment, can’t aim for a permanent spot.
LeBron James: I did watch Germany — shout out to Dennis Schröder, obviously leading that squad. He’s a good friend of mine. And he was MVP of the whole thing." Steve Nash: "Let me stop you on Schröder — he’s a Hall of Famer. Think about it. MVP of the World Championship, MVP of the Euros, finalist or semi-finalist in the Olympics... If that’s not a FIBA Hall of Famer, then what is? That’s pro résumé material. What do you think?" LeBron James: "Yeah, I mean, I saw a lot of the stats and accomplishments after EuroBasket this summer. If it happens, I wouldn’t be like, 'Oh my God, I’m so surprised.' No — he’s put in the work, man. Because it’s the totality that matters. People get into Hall of Fames off of college careers — high school careers, even. So international excellence should be part of the puzzle. I mean, it’s impressive. Not that Dennis hasn’t been a terrific NBA player — but he hasn’t been an All-Star. You can see him playing at an All-Star level on certain nights, for sure. But what he’s done in the international game? That’s a big part of basketball history. The international game is a big part of our game. A lot of guys have come over here and made an impact, and a lot of our guys go overseas too. It’s all part of the total picture — the history of the game."
The statement didn't sit well with German captain Dennis Schroder, who fired back with explicit language during a social media live. Ataman recently responded to Schroder's outburst, prompting the Sacramento Kings guard to reply once again on Instagram. "Luckily, you never be my coach. I didn't start this back and forth... You did and you said something about us. So, if you really wanna talk s**t, you have to back it up, and you didn't. I'm sorry, coach. You sound like you hurt. It's all love, tho. Imma just be me, people who know me know," Schroder wrote in an Instagram story.