Basketball World Cup
Gold of satisfaction: Schröder’s messages from the top
Was voted MVP of the tournament: Dennis Schröder. photo
© Michael Conroy/AP/dpa
In Manila, world champion Dennis Schröder experiences the crowning moment of his career. While his coach first wants to fish for salmon, the German basketball hero makes a few clear announcements.
With drinks, fine food and loud bass, Schröder and Co. treated themselves to a relaxed evening after a tiring six-week journey from Bonn via Abu Dhabi and Okinawa to their final destination Manila. Of course there was the golden Naismith Trophy. All night long, the appropriate photos to accompany the unforgettable memories were proudly taken. Above all, the captain himself took enormous satisfaction to bed with him after the party until the early morning.
DBB selection with an unexpected eight-win series
Because it was the 29-year-old Schröder who led his team to the greatest success in German basketball history with athletic performance and unbridled ambition. “The coach asked us what goal we wanted to achieve. Everyone said a medal. I said gold,” said a proud Schröder, who also has his name immortalized in the German sports history book. It is not the cheeky young star Franz Wagner, his brother Moritz or the powerful center Daniel Theis who are largely associated with this success, but rather Schröder.
With a basketball net around his neck, he gave interview after interview and streamed the party from the team bus live on social networks. “It sounds incredible. How we managed it against the strongest teams in the world,” said Schröder in amazement after a whopping eight-win run that came as a complete surprise. Australia, Slovenia around Luka Doncic and the NBA stars from the USA had to admit defeat to the German team before the final.
Head coach Gordon Herbert, whose iconic photo of exhaustion at the moment of triumph went around the world, explicitly thanked his leader. “Dennis has created his own identity. He has won a World Cup. It’s time we give him 100 percent respect,” said the 64-year-old. Herbert has been in the World Cup tunnel for weeks and, after the celebratory reception in Frankfurt on Tuesday, he is looking forward to having a little more free time, which he would like to use to fish for salmon and chop wood in nature. The fact that he can do this as a world champion coach after traveling home via Abu Dhabi has a lot to do with Schröder.
Schröder led the selection to the title
But while Herbert’s pulse was sinking for gold against Serbia (83:77), Schröder used the hour of greatest success to settle accounts with his critics. “For everyone who has supported me over the years: I kiss their hearts, of course. But everyone else can still stay away,” said Schröder, who received congratulations from world-famous sports personalities such as LeBron James and Toni Kroos. “I build up a lot of motivation with haters or people who always see everything critically,” said Schröder from the ultra-modern Mall of Asia Arena.
With the coronation in Manila, all doubts about Schröder’s suitability to lead the German national team have disappeared. The historic first World Cup gold even surpasses the generation around national icon Dirk Nowitzki, with whom Schröder has been repeatedly compared in recent years. The way his team rallied behind Schröder after the dispute over the nomination of Maximilian Kleber, whom he heavily criticized, was a statement. In the history of German basketball teams, there has never been a captain as powerful as Boss Schröder.
“Dennis is a very inspiring person. People talk about him all the time. But he always finds a way to get back up. He’s an absolute warrior. An inspiring basketball player, an inspiring person. He led us to the World Cup here.” , enthused Moritz Wagner. All teammates, without exception, spoke something like this during the 17 World Cup days in Asia, in which Schröder developed from an object of debate to a world champion captain. “I finally want my respect,” he shouted caustically. “I don’t want to hear anything about my name anymore.”
“Family life is very good for me as a person”
Schröder, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, likes to divide his world into good and evil – and then separates the two sides based on how he himself fares in the rating. The overall feedback for Schröder as a person and athlete has never been as positive as it was on the golden Sunday evening in Manila. “Dennis and I have a connection. We’ve developed that trust further,” Herbert said. At the press conference, players and coaches smiled with relief. The fact that they were shouting at each other during a break exactly a week earlier had long been forgotten.
During the hour of the sporting summit, Schröder also reflected on a personal maturation process. Coming to the NBA in Atlanta at the age of 20 and immediately earning millions – it’s not easy. But Schröder has gained massive mental stability. “I’m just happy that I decided to pursue family life. It’s very good for me as a person. My children have awakened a lot in me that I didn’t have before. My wife as well,” said Schröder proudly. Ms. Ellen and the three kids were there for the entire World Cup.
The professional who was previously always criticized for his pretentious manner has evolved. Teammates, fans and the association give him great credit for his constant commitment to the national team. Schröder leads the way, stands protectively in front of his team and is available every year despite strenuous NBA seasons. After the gold coup in Manila, he will advance into new sporting spheres: Schröder will be a legitimate candidate when it comes to athlete of the year or the 2024 Olympic flag bearer in Paris.