*German basketball player Dennis Schröder has carved out an impressive career, but he believes his skin color will always stand in the way of achieving the same reverence in his home country as NBA icon Dirk Nowitzki.
In a candid interview with Stern magazine, Schröder shared his admiration for Nowitzki while acknowledging the harsh reality of racial bias in his homeland. Born to a German father and a Gambian mother, the Sacramento Kings’ guard reflected on his childhood idol. “When I was 14, I sat in front of the TV watching Dirk Nowitzki carry the flag at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Back then I thought: how cool, there’s no greater honor,” he recalled, per Basketball Network.
Nowitzki’s illustrious career includes an NBA title, a league MVP, 14 All-Star nods, and multiple All-NBA selections. Internationally, he carried Germany to a bronze at the 2002 FIBA World Cup and a silver at EuroBasket 2005, claiming MVP honors in both tournaments. Schröder knows his own résumé is impressive, but he doubts it will ever earn him the same adulation.
“It’s a great honor, but for me it will never be the same as for Dirk,” he said. “I will never receive the same love in this country, because I am dark-skinned.”
Schröder’s path from first-round draft pick to World Cup MVP has been far from ordinary. Drafted 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2013, he has played for multiple NBA teams and is the sole owner of Basketball Loewen Braunschweig in Germany. Schröder debuted for the German national team in 2014, leading them to a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2022, earning All-Tournament honors, and securing the 2023 FIBA World Cup title, where he was named MVP. In 2024, he was Germany’s flag bearer at the Paris Olympics, helping the team to a fourth-place finish and earning a spot on the FIBA Olympics All-Star Five.
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Looking ahead, Schröder has deep ties to his hometown of Braunschweig. He plans to return there after his playing days to nurture the next generation of talent. “Braunschweig is my home, I’m needed here,” he said.
“That’s why I bought the basketball club there, that’s why we’re planning academies, camps and schools for the youth there…Many professionals stay in the USA after their playing careers and enjoy their fame. But I belong in Germany,” Schröder added.
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