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Dennis Schroder Rumors
Former long-time NBA forward and current Lithuanian national team manager Linas Kleiza was the key figure in calming the tensions that arose during halftime on Saturday. The former longtime national team player described how everything looked from his perspective. “By the time I got to the locker room, Schroder had already said a lot to (Jonas) Valanciunas about our fan and that he was responsible for it,” Kleiza recounted talking to Lithuanian media on Sunday. “Obviously, all the German players were emotional, and we had to calm things down. I went, found out what happened. One fan simply had a conflict with Schroder, and it turned into a racism scandal."
Nicolas Batum on the comments under French players’ social media pages after win against Slovenia: “Some of y’all are SICK even if you disagree with a BASKETBALL play, racism and hate are NEVER ACCEPTABLE at all. After Dennis Schroder earlier, now this…”
FIBA bans fan for directing racist abuse at Dennis Schroeder
FIBA has banned a spectator from EuroBasket for engaging in racist verbal abuse directed at German captain and Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schröder during Germany’s win over Lithuania in Tampere, Finland, on Saturday. FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, said that on-site security, using CCTV footage, identified and banned the person and has given the footage to local law enforcement, who are continuing to investigate.
Dennis Schroeder accuses Lithuanian fans of racial slurs
Germany beat Lithuania; however, the spotlight after the game turned away from sports, with Dennis Schroder complaining about what happened at halftime. “The Lithuanians, the fans, they always travel with the team, but unfortunately, at halftime, they made monkey noises,” Schroder said in an interview with German Eurobasket broadcaster MagentaSport. “And that’s something I really cannot accept. Racism in this world doesn’t belong here. Nevertheless, it was a good game. I think there were some fans who actually had to leave the stands because of security. I believe it was also reported. That just doesn’t belong in this sport, not in football either. With Vinicius Junior, I’ve seen it happen all the time. But for me, today was the first time experiencing it with the Lithuanians, and it’s sad.”
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The Lithuanian fans always support their national team and delivered again in Tampere, Finland, but Germany was simply on another level. The defending world champions trailed only twice in the game (15-13, 18-15) and against Lithuania, delivered a masterclass, getting an easy 107-88 win for a 3-0 start in the tournament, scoring for the third straight time more than 100 points. Dennis Schroder with 26 points, Franz Wagner with 24, and Daniel Theis with 23 on 9/9 FG led a balanced effort as the winners shot with 58% in field goals until the end of the third period.
Dennis Schroeder: “I have to be honest — LeBron, Russ, first in Oklahoma in 2018, when I first came to Oklahoma, I was traded, and then we flew straight to LA and had a mini camp there for four days. And the first time I saw Russell Westbrook in his prime, I was like, okay, we play him tomorrow, not afraid, but I thought, I have to go to bed early. And I saw Russ in LA, his body, his forearms were as big as my shoulders. I said to my wife, ‘Hey, I have to go to the gym, I need to get bigger. Russ is an animal.’ And he set the example — always first in the gym. Then LeBron — I went to training in LA two hours early, thinking I’d be first, and I hear balls bouncing. LeBron’s already drenched in sweat. I thought, ‘Bro, we have two hours of practice ahead!’ That kind of work — that's the reason I live it now, every day. And now, I show that to the German team.”
Dennis Schroeder: The negativity in Germany is definitely very, very high
So do you want to say a few words about how it feels when you play in America and then come to Germany and have to endure this negativity? Dennis Schroeder: Yes, the negativity here in Germany is definitely very, very high. I remember — there was an interview after we became world champions. You were there with Andi, and you were with the reporter. He asked a question, and I was like, ‘Yeah man…’ but I answered sarcastically, of course. It was funny, but he wanted to say something again — and we had just become world champions! We were the best in the world. We had won eight times! I don’t even know what the question was anymore Moritz Wagner: I think that was actually Benny from Magenta Sport — shoutout! But still, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just in our DNA — the analysis. Dennis Schroeder: That’s just how it is. And I don’t know how many negative headlines I’ve had in Germany. That’s just how it is. And the questions still keep coming. They’re really trying to trick you into saying something they can use for attention. That’s my feeling. But here’s the thing — recognition? That’s when you’re in Greece — and I don’t want to compare myself to any country — but in Greece, like with Giannis or the other players, the people idolize their players. All players. Not just one person — all of them. They idolize their players. And with us? It just doesn’t feel like that. And I don’t want to change it — it is what it is.
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The 29-year-old sharpshooter of FC Bayern Munich ended up with 5/6 triples and 18 points, including 12 in a 33-12 run for his side in the third quarter. Schroder put up 21 points. Standing out with 12 points in the first half, Franz Wagner combined a game-high 22 points with a team-high eight rebounds.
Germany faced a sudden issue ahead of the opener, with head coach Alex Mumbru being hospitalized in Tampere due to an acute infection. However, Schröder believes the team will remain unaffected, with assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic stepping in. “At the end of the day, we all know what the team has done over the last couple of years. Alan coached the U18 European champions, made history with them, and the U19 team became second in the World Cup. So this is just another bump in the road. Hopefully, Alex Mumbru gets healthy quickly because health is the most important thing, and we’ll take care of everything until he gets back.”
Schröder couldn’t provide any new updates on Mumbru’s condition. “I have been texting with him, but as far as I know, his condition is stable. And yeah, hopefully, he comes back soon,” Schröder concluded at the press conference in Tampere.
Germany finalized the 12-man roster for the 2025 EuroBasket upon completion of training camp games Saturday with a win over Spain. The players that compile the EuroBasket squad are the following: Isaac Bonga, Oscar Da Silva, Tristan Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Franz Wagner
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