Dennis Schröder Takes A Stand Against Racism In Sports

Dennis Schröder Hopes 'Deutschland' Winning 2025 Euro Title Extends To Sacramento Kings' Franchise

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– Sacramento Kings point guard Dennis Schröder, translated in German (Deutschland) and English:

STOP RACISM (Stoppt Rassismus.)

“Zum ersten Mal ist mir das passiert… @vinijr, jetzt weiß ich, wie es sich anfühlt.

Ich wünschte, die Leute, die die Affenlaute gemacht haben, hätten den Mut, das auch außerhalb der Arena zu tun. Denn ich schwöre auf das Grab meines Vaters: Dann müssten sie die Konsequenzen tragen, denen sie in der Arena entkommen.”

First time this has happened to me.. @vinijr, now I know what it feels like.

I wish the people who did the monkey noises had the guts to do it outside of the arena. Because I swear on my father's grave: Then they would have to bear the consequences of escaping in the arena.”

– Sacramento Kings interim coach Doug Christie

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento, Calif. — On August 25, German basketball player Dennis Schröder was the target of racial abuse from Lithuanian fans during his Deutschland national team’s 107-88 win over Lithuania at the 2025 EuroBasket championship. 

During halftime of a preliminary round game in Tampere, Finland, a group of fans made “monkey noises” directed at him, he told reporters. Schröder, 32, heard the hostile expression while walking to the locker room at halftime. 

Unfortunately, he would be the ire of such ignorance, but the incident is just as prevalent in the United States as well. Schröder’s physical stature has an alluring skin tone reminiscent of an opaque, inky black diamond with a sparkling, metallic sheen. 

“I wish the people who made the monkey noises had the guts to do that outside the arena,” Schröder posted on his Instagram account in English and German. “Because then, I swear on my father’s grave, they would have to face the consequences which they escape in the arena.”

The racist spectators responsible for the verbal abuse were identified and banned from the EuroBasket tournament. Tournament officials from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) later identified one of the individuals using video footage. 

The incident prompted official condemnation from FIBA, the German Basketball Federation, and the Lithuanian delegation. Lithuanian players humbly apologized to Schröder and his Deutsche Basketball nationalmannschaft teammates. The Lithuanian Basketball Federation president expressed that the behavior was “absolutely unacceptable.”

“You can insult me, do whatever you want, but monkey noises are not acceptable," he told reporters after the Group B game in Tampere, Finland. "Racism simply does not belong in this sport.”

A month later, Schröder was in California with his coaches and teammates of the Sacramento Kings to start training camp for the National Basketball Association’s 2025-2026 season. 

During the NBA free-agent period, Schröder signed a three-year, $45 million contract to play with his 11th NBA team. He joined the Kings in a sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Detroit Pistons.

On Media Day at the Kings’ practice facility, he was not shy about responding to another question about the incident that took place, where he was crowned Most Valuable Player honors, averaging 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

“It just made me go harder and win the title for Germany.. I think everybody, my teammates supported me,” Schröder told NBC News Radio and Publicity Agents. “They wanted to win because of that (the offensive insult) as well.”

The German basketball team had a bevy of reasons to win the championship game, Schröder said.  Head coach Alex Mumbru became ill and was hospitalized in Tampere, Finland, during the group stage of the EuroBasket 2025 tournament.

Assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic took over the head coaching duties during Mumbru’s absence. On Sept 16, Mumbru had not yet fully recovered and was hospitalized again in Spain, BasketballNews.com reported. Schröder said it was the first time he had experienced discord in an international sports setting.

“Our coach was really sick and sacrificed his life to be with us (in Finland),” Schröder said. “I think those things tied us together. We just wanted to get out there and play at the highest level.” 

Schröder’s Kings teammate DeMar DeRozan has played basketball internationally for the United States national team, winning gold medals at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

DeRozan, who is starting his 17th year in the NBA, was a member of the gold-medal-winning USA Basketball teams for both events, showcasing his experience on the international stage. He has never played professionally overseas.

Playing basketball overseas as an American can be a challenging yet rewarding experience that offers both personal growth and professional development, the chance to experience new lifestyles, languages, and cultures, DeRozan said. 

“It’s amazing. We’re so used to playing in our region across the league that it’s always good to see a different atmosphere,” DeRozan said. “It’s a different feeling pulling up to arenas, pulling up to a hotel, different city, (and) different country. You see how much basketball is globally.” 

In detailed information, in the 2024–2025 season, among 44 nations, 74 Americans played in the EuroLeague, and some teams feature as many as seven US-born players, according to BasketballNews.com.

Dennis Schröder, center, has an interview segment with KHTK 1140 AM's Drive Guys, Kevin Gleason, right, and Kyle Draper during Media Day on Sept. 28, 2025. Draper serves multiple roles for the Sacramento Kings and their broadcast partner, NBC Sports California.

Schröder was born on Sept. 15, 1993, in Braunschweig, Deutschland, but his bloodline is rooted in Gambia, officially known as the Republic of the Gambia. It is located in West Africa along the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by the neighboring country of Senegal. 

The elongated Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa and is shaped by the Gambia River, which flows through it to the Atlantic Ocean. Braunschweig is roughly 3,848 miles north of Gambia. 

Schröder’s father, Axel Schröder passed away in 2009 when the soon-to-be professional basketball player was 16 years old. Axel Schröder, a native of Braunschweig, Germany. He was a German professional basketball player. He has previously spoken about facing racism in Europe, including in Germany, since childhood.

Schröder told Face2Face Africa that he faced racism throughout his childhood while growing up in Germany, and his experiences have helped shape his character and mental toughness. He has shared his feelings about how this affected him from a young age.

“Growing up in Germany was tough, man,” he revealed. “It’s wrong, but I just went with it. In kindergarten people asked, ‘Why is your skin Black? ‘Why are you dirty?’ and all those little tough moments," Schröder stated. "But then when I started playing basketball at 12, I went to a basketball school and people started respecting and accept me as a Black person because I did something for Germany and for my hometown."

What’s been overlooked is the fact that Germany won the EuroBasket 2025 title by defeating Turkey 88-83 in a hard-fought final held in Riga, Latvia.

Schröder, Deutschland’s captain and point guard, delivered crucial plays in the fourth quarter, scoring the final six points to secure the win for Germany, according to The Associated Press.

Isaac Bonga led Germany with 20 points. It was the country’s first EuroBasket championship since 1993 and arrived two years after the team claimed to have won the World Cup title in 2023.

Schröder is expected to be the starting point guard for the Kings and run their offense. He takes over the floor-general duties after the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs last February.

Kings head coach Doug Christie, and to an extent, General Manager Scott Perry, have charged Schröder with leading the offense and defense for a team that finished 40-42 last season, and was bounced out of the postseason after winning one game in the Play-In Tournament.

"When you have a point guard that moves the ball around and advances it up the floor when you're open, it makes you want to play," Christie said of Schröder's lead guard skills. "We're in the sandbox together sharing toys...that's who we need."

It’s a different style of play than the NBA, though Schröder hopes that his success in Europe carries over to the Sacramento Kings. 

“It was a historic summer for Germany, and how we played,” Schröder said. “I think it was awesome and can bring some success to this organization, how we want to play, and get back into the playoffs.”

UP NEXT

The Kings play their first preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 8 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings' Preseason remaining schedule:

Friday, October 10 v. Portland Trail Blazers

Wednesday, October 15 vs. Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center

Friday, October 17 v. Los Angeles Lakers

• Tony ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ Public Information Officer

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