Dennis Schroder takes a jab at German TV: 'We want our respect' / News - Basketnews.com

Schroder praised the entire German national team's organization but criticized German television networks for only showing the final on national TV. He shared a story about a meeting the team had in Okinawa, where he already knew Germany would win the World Cup.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

After being questioned as a starter in the NBA, Dennis Schroder had his moment in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He led Germany to the gold medal and was named the tournament's MVP.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Johannes Voigtmann Points 12 Accuracy 4-5 Rebounds 8 Assists 3

The star guard was interrupted by his teammates in the post-game press conference, who started celebrating in front of the media. When it was over, Schroder gave praise to them.

"It's an unbelievable group. We started at the beginning of July. The coach did a great job of bringing us together. Knowing their woes, everybody brought their best to be successful. I think being 8-0 in a group where we had big-time teams, going to the next stage, playing Slovenia and Georgia, and going to the KO stage... It's unbelievable going 8-0 and winning the gold medal," he said.

"That's a blessing to share it with all the people in the locker, my family, who came all the way from Germany, my kids, [my] wife... It's unbelievable, man."

Germany played arguably the best offensive game in the entire World Cup. When it mattered, they showed up defensively. One of the better examples of it was limiting Serbia's Nikola Milutinov to just two points and four rebounds in the final.

"The team is unbelievable. They enjoyed every single moment, every single game, every single practice. [In] every single game, we embraced it and competed on the highest level. I think that's the reason why we did what we did in this tournament. It means a lot, we made history," Schroder said.

Schroder then remembered Dirk Nowitzki, a German all-time great, a Hall of Famer who consistently represented Germany in international tournaments.

"Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best four-men ever, he changed the game of basketball, he's an NBA champ, so much respect for this guy. Off the court - a cool dude. I had the honor to play with him in 2015 in Berlin in the European Championship. Passing that is great, a great achievement for the federation and for every single player in the locker room," he told the media. "We wouldn't have done it if we weren't a team."

Dennis Schroder

Position:PGAge:29Height:185 cmWeight:76 kgBirth place:Brunswick, GermanyProfileNewsStatistics

Asked about the popularity of basketball potentially increasing after the win, Schroder wanted to pay attention to the fact that the tournament was not available to be watched for free.

Notably, Magenta Sport, a private streaming service, held the rights in Germany, and only the ultimate game against Serbia was shown on national TV.

"Basketball is such a great sport, I wish we'd get our respect," Schroder said. "In the next European Championship and next year in Paris, I wish every game will be on TV. But we see the steps."

"When I started 10 years ago, of course, we had Dirk Nowitzki, but other than that, people didn't know who was on the team," he continued. "Now, when we go to the Philippines or Okinawa, everybody knows our team. Germans, as well, start recognizing what we're doing for the country representing. We want our respect as well."

During the tournament, the entire German team had a meeting where they were asked about their goals for the competition. Dennis Schroder knew it all along.

"I think it was in Okinawa. We had a meeting, we had it last year as well. It was four groups of four people. [The coach said], 'Everybody, what do you want to accomplish?' Everybody said 'a medal'. Now, 'Dennis, what do you want to accomplish?' And I said gold," the player shared.

"The guys in the locker room, they're so together. That's the reason why I said it. We knew our defense, how we play as a basketball team, it's special. Everybody's touching it, moving it, playing defense together as a team. To go 8-0, it's insane to me," he concluded.

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