In the summer of 2021 to the Boston Celtics, in February 2022 to the Houston Rockets, a few months later to the Los Angeles Lakers, after just one year to the Toronto Raptors and from there after half a season to the Brooklyn Nets. For Germany’s exceptional basketball player Dennis Schröder, life as an NBA professional has involved many team changes and moves in recent years – sometimes across North America.
Now the development player has changed his club again. From now on he will no longer play in New York for the Nets, but on the other side of the USA for the Golden State Warriors, who are based in San Francisco. The Warriors are already the eighth team in twelve years of NBA for the captain of the German world champion team. This is the fourth time he has had to change within the current season.
Hardly any influence or say in team changes
The word “must” isn’t wrong in this case because NBA players typically have little say over which team they play for. Although NBA professionals have a contract with one of the 30 NBA clubs, they are employed by the league itself and can be traded between clubs with certain restrictions.
When the Warriors’ development player De’Anthony Melton tore his cruciate ligament, they quickly needed a replacement and found him in Schröder. The teams therefore agreed that Melton as well as another player and a few draft picks (the right to select new players in the draft – the player exchange before the season) would be given to Brooklyn and that Schröder would move to the Warriors.
Whether Schröder himself wanted this was not even asked – and he would probably not have changed of his own free will. “Life is cool here, we live in a good neighborhood in Brooklyn,” he said just a few days ago in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ). “There is a playground right outside the door, my children already have friends they meet every day.”
Schröder was accordingly shocked when he found out about his move. He only came to the Nets at the beginning of the year and felt at home there after all the back and forth in recent seasons. “I was in a bad mood,” said Schröder – until his five-year-old son Dennis Jr. said: “We’re lucky, at least it’s a good team now.”
Schröder with the Warriors title candidate
In fact, Schröder has a better chance of getting into the playoffs with his new team than with his previous team. And being traded away doesn’t mean he’s a bad player either. On the contrary: Instead of the strong Melton alongside superstar Stephen Curry, Schröder should ensure that the Warriors can have a say again in the fight for the title. With Curry and current coach Steve Kerr, Golden State became NBA champions in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Schröder has averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game for Brooklyn this season. Melton, who played an important role for the Warriors until his serious injury, is averaging 10.3 points and 2.8 assists.
It remains to be seen whether and when Schröder’s family will follow him to San Francisco. After all, his wife Ellen and their three children have just made themselves at home in New York. The Schröders’ “real home” is not in the USA anyway, but in the northern German city of Braunschweig in the state of Lower Saxony.
Schröder was born and grew up there in 1993. Here, the son of a mother from Gambia and a German father was discovered by a club coach at the age of eleven on an outdoor basketball court and started playing basketball indoors.
Focusing on basketball after father’s death
Schröder was a rebellious youth with a big ego and strong self-confidence. He often got into arguments with his coaches and teammates. A stroke of fate changed that: After his father died of a heart attack in 2009, Schröder focused fully on sports because he had promised his father that he would make it to the NBA. Schröder was 16 years old at the time.
Two years later he played for the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig in the basketball Bundesliga. Shortly afterwards, scouts from the USA also noticed his good performance. In 2013 he moved to the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. Schröder only became a national player after moving to the United States.
“Real home” in Braunschweig
However, there is still a close connection to the Löwen Braunschweig. When his former club was doing poorly financially a few years ago, Schröder invested the money he earned in the NBA and became a co-shareholder in the club. He has even been the sole shareholder since May 2020. “Braunschweig is my hometown, I want to give something back to the region,” said Schröder, explaining his move.
His investment secured the Bundesliga license and thus the future of Braunschweig as a basketball city. “I am convinced that we can further develop the location and turn it into a top club in the league,” said Schröder at the time. This hope has not yet been fully fulfilled. Braunschweig has not yet reached the playoffs since Schröder took over, but there has been no threat of relegation from the Bundesliga either.
Dennis Schröder himself may have to return to the Lions before he can make it to the German top level. A few years ago, Schröder formulated a comeback to his hometown club as a sporting goal that he would perhaps like to fulfill. “It’s a dream, I would love to do it,” he said a few years ago at Magenta Sport. “Of course I don’t know exactly when, but it’s on my list. I definitely want to play in Braunschweig again.”
NBA career until 40?
But before that, Schröder would like to continue his life as an NBA professional for as long as possible. With his eight years of experience in the league, his statistics, his fast style of play and the world championship title behind him, the 31-year-old German has earned a status that sets him apart from many other players.
“I take care of my body, take care of my fitness so that I can keep playing like this,” Schröder told SZ. “I’m also getting better at nutrition, so I think I can do all of this until I’m 40.” However, only a few players can actually endure the stress of the 82 season games (excluding playoffs) and the many trips for that long. Germany’s basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki was one of them.
One can only wish Dennis Schröder and his family that another nine years of NBA doesn’t mean nine more team changes and moves within the USA. “If everything works out like this, then of course I want to end my career here,” said Schröder at his presentation in San Francisco. However, his contract with the Warriors only runs until the end of the season.
