Basketball EM: First medal, then Lakers: Schröder demanded again

Before Dennis Schröder wants to get his stalled NBA career back on track with the glorious Los Angeles Lakers, the best German basketball player still wants to complete his medal mission with the national team.

After a night of disappointment following the bitter semifinals at the European Championship against world champion Spain, Schröder and Co. are still fighting for bronze against Poland on Sunday (5:15 p.m. / RTL and Magentasport) and thus the first German medal since September 17 years.

“We would make history and that is motivation enough for all of us,” said Schröder. “Our goal was to win a medal and that’s still possible on Sunday. So cheer up!” the point guard, who was outstanding against Spain, not only appealed to his teammates because of his 30 points.

Chancellor Scholz: “Respect for your performance”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz also gave courage. “Shined, fought. Up to the last second. Respect for your performance. Now get the bronze medal!” Scholz wrote on Twitter. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock even watched the gripping game in the arena alongside basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki.

Schröder had turned 29 the day before the semifinals, but the birthday present in the form of the first German final since the EM 2005 did not materialize. But there was happy news from the USA. In the coming season, Schröder will appear again in the NBA for the Lakers alongside superstar LeBron James, for whom he had already played in the 2020/21 season. This was followed by a very mixed season with the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets, and Schröder went to the European Championships without a contract.

“It’s an honor to play for the @Lakers”

But that was not a burden for the self-confident Schröder. “My advisor is already doing his job, he’s on the phone with all the teams. I’ll let him do his job and I’ll do mine here,” Schröder had recently commented on speculation at the European Championship. And the strong performances at the European Championships, where the agile point guard currently has 21.6 points and 7.3 assists per game, did not go unnoticed in the USA either.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dennis Schröder back to the Lakers,” said Vice President Rob Pelinka late Friday evening, according to the club’s announcement. Details of the contract were not released. According to media information, it should be a one-year contract worth $ 2.64 million (2.64 million euros). This was reported, among other things, by ESPN, citing Schröder’s agents.

“It’s an honor to play for the @Lakers. Can’t wait to start!” Schroeder wrote on Instagram. The last year hasn’t felt right. He felt misunderstood and nobody really knew the story. He is now coming back to the largest organization to do everything right. “I’ll give everything I have, every single day!!”

Focus initially on the national team

But first of all, all focus is once again on the national team. The team of national coach Gordon Herbert also showed an inspiring performance against Spain, but this time there was no happy ending in the form of a place in the final. “It hurts a lot,” said Alba Berlin’s Johannes Thiemann. National coach Herbert was therefore asked to help out at the team hotel on the Lützowufer on Saturday. Once again it is important to bring that spirit and that enthusiasm onto the floor against Poland, which caused the German team to storm into the semi-finals by surprise.

Schröder wants to go ahead again against Poland and was already fighting a few minutes after the bursting of the final dream. “With these guys in the locker room, I’ll take any opponent. I love the guys,” said the Braunschweig native. And even with all the frustration about the missed opportunity, NBA colleague Franz Wagner quickly became combative again. “The greed is very big. It was a great summer. We have to throw everything in,” said Wagner. “It’s a very big thing to win a medal for the national team.”