Detlef Schrempf did outstanding pioneering work for basketball in Germany, competing in the 1990s with the best NBA stars of the time such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
However, over 1,000 games as a power forward in the best basketball league in the world are now taking their physical toll: Schrempf has now reported from the hospital on his social media channels.
“Another body part has been replaced. “We all pay the price at some point,” the now 60-year-old wrote on X (formerly Twitter) – and attached a picture of himself in a hospital bed to his post.
Schrempf optimistically stretches his thumb into the camera.
How did this come about? The former Seattle Supersonics professional underwent surgery at Overlake Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, USA, during which he was fitted with an artificial hip joint.
But despite the consequential damage to his career that is now becoming apparent, Schrempf doesn’t want to miss his time in the NBA. “I wouldn’t trade these years for anything!” emphasized the Leverkusen native in his post.
Schrempf played 1,136 regular season games and another 114 playoff games in the NBA. The forward, who was selected eighth in the 1985 draft by the Dallas Mavericks, was still on the floor for the Indiana Pacers, the SuperSonics and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Schrempf was one of the first players from Europe to succeed in the NBA. Above all, his versatility and his skills under the basket as well as from beyond the three-point line helped him to be successful.
During his career, Schrempf shot a strong 38.4 percent from downtown and was also the first European in the NBA to break the 15,000 point mark.
Schrempf had his most successful years in Seattle. In the 1996 season he made it to the finals with the Sonics, where he lost to the Chicago Bulls for Air Jordan (final score of the series: 2:4).
Schrempf was then inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2021. However, the 60-year-old never wanted to take on a role as a trainer or expert after his career.
2023-10-04 15:41:21
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