Germany guard Dennis Schröder is proud to carry his nation’s flag

PARIS – There was more than just national pride for Germany men’s basketball guard Dennis Schröder when he proudly waved the German flag on a boat on the Seine River during the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Schröder also saw it as a symbol of defeating racism in his own country.

“For me, the biggest thing was to carry that flag for the whole Olympic team,” Brooklyn Nets guard Schröder, 30, told Andscape. “That was my goal to set a big statement, an important statement in Germany, to show all those [who are] Black, light skin, whatever color, even if you’re Asian, if you’re Turkish, that you guys can do something with a lot of hard work and passion. And that was a big statement that we set in Germany that a Black guy carried that flag.”

Schröder and Germany are also making a big statement in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Schröder had 13 points, 8 assists and a key late 3-pointer near the logo during Germany’s comeback 76-63 quarterfinals victory over Greece on Tuesday. The 2024 FIBA World Cup champions advanced to the Olympic semifinals for the first time ever and will face France on Thursday.

With Schröder leading, Germany may be the Americans’ most feared potential competition due to its point guard play, size and shooting.

“It’s insane. We wrote history already,” Schröder said after the win over Greece. “We’re in the semis. With this team, it’s great to compete. We are like brothers. We’re like family. I’m not just saying it. It’s the real deal. I love all those guys.”

The following is an exclusive Q&A with Andscape in which Schröder talks about overcoming racism, his belief that Germany could beat USA, playing for Canada coach and new Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, his family ties to Gambia, the process of becoming Germany’s flag bearer, the advice he would give to a young Black kid in Germany and more.

It appears that you seem to play freer with more opportunity to be a leader internationally with Germany than in the NBA. Do you feel at times in the NBA you’re not able to showcase what you’re able to do on an international level?

It’s just the NBA, first off. It’s the best league in the world. But I have a lot of confidence, as people know. But when you have such trust from your coach and your teammates, it’s a different feel when you play. The last five years I played with such great players, Hall of Famers. And of course, they told me to get into my stuff. But the NBA got a lot of egos and a lot of individual stuff, individual basketball and people looking at their numbers.

For me or for us, the German national team, it don’t matter if I score two points or Franz [Wagner] scores four points and we win the game. We are happy about the win. And in my career, my 12 years [in the NBA], I probably seen one or two years where people was happy when they had eight points or nine points and won the game. So, I think that’s the biggest difference of FIBA and the NBA. People are willing to sacrifice and are willing to put winning first instead of their own points.

Here, they are really coachable and I can get on somebody’s butt and say, ‘Oh, listen, you are [playing poorly].’ But in the NBA, it’s sensitive. You got to be really wise with your words to the players. And here sometimes when it’s emotional I scream and people understand it’s coming from a good place and they’re not taking it the wrong way.

What does it mean to play with Germany on your chest during the Olympics?

Germany is everything. The last 10 years I sacrificed a lot of time to play on the national team and to make sure I represent the German national team. I understand that people can’t watch all the NBA guys because we play at 2 or 3 in morning [in Germany]. So, it’s always tough to watch the game, especially when you have work the next morning. So, I always said I want, when I’m healthy, to play on a national team and I want all the supporters or fans out there who watch games or want to watch games. I want to give them a chance to see us when we play in Germany.

Of course, growing up in Germany, I want to give back to my community, give back to Braunschweig, my hometown city and inspire all the young guys and people who are coming up. We are [showcasing] all 12 guys here, they made it to the national team and team. It’s been great how the last 10 years, how we were rising every single year. And now we are at our peak and that’s a lot of sacrifice that comes with it. Not seeing the family for two months or three months. NBA assistant coaches come in to sacrifice for us. So, everybody now understands our system and that’s what we built the last couple of years. So, I’m really happy. It’s an honor for everybody to come to the national team.

What was it like growing up Black in Germany?

Growing up in Germany was tough, man. 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. 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 …

And remembering all those tough moments, it makes it even sweeter to carry the flag and show everybody it’s possible to do something. Because I remember when I was little people told me it’s not possible to do that. My dreams were the NBA and I said it and people was laughing. And it’s for sure possible if you put a lot of hard work and passion into it. Of course, you got to have a lot of luck. That comes with it. You got to have a family who supports you. My family was there since day one, every single game, never missed a game. So, all their support as well was just incredible. It’s just, it’s like a dream still to me that worked out that I carried the flag. That’s insane.

What advice would you give to a young black German kid who’s dealing with racism now?

Everything I went through, of course, it makes me so mentally tough. I would probably tell him that it don’t matter what anybody says, it don’t matter if it’s the teacher, it don’t matter if it’s your coach, you got to see the vision. You got to, of course, stay humble, listen to your family. But at the end of the day, you just got to focus on what you want to accomplish because you can accomplish whatever you want.

Of course, it is up to you, of course. I always say you got to have a lot of luck because I wouldn’t be in the league. I went to the [Nike] Hoop Summit [in 2013]. There was a 50-50 chance that I was going to play in the Hoop Summit because my team [Basketball Lowen Braunschweig] was playing to stay in the first division and not going down in the league. And I was thinking about not going, but going to that Hoop Summit changed my life. So, of course you got to have a little bit of luck and have the right connects and the right people that can connect you. It opens up everything you want to do.

How did you get told that you were going to carry the flag and were you emotional when you found out?

I’m big on YouTube. I got a big community, not just fans, I’m saying a community who helps me with everything. When I bring something out, they support and buy it. It don’t matter if it’s clothes, my energy drink, whatever it is. People are showing love and we built that over the last four or five years. And the guy who was in charge of the whole organization of the Olympics for the German Federation, they told me it’s a possibility that I can carry the flag and the German national team. But they said, ‘The next day you got a game, so you guys cannot go to the opening ceremony.’ And I was like, ‘Listen, everybody wants to go to that ceremony. That’s one of the biggest parts in [the Olympics].’ We had to make sure that the national team [executives] know ‘Dennis wants to carry that flag.’ So that was one positive thing what the national team did for me because if they didn’t tell them, I wouldn’t probably be nominated to be able to carry that flag. And then afterwards there was three nominees …

All the 471 athletes playing in the Olympics could vote and that’s 50% of the vote. Then all the public people can vote and listen. We did a campaign almost like the presidents do. We made sure that everybody is engaged or went to livestreams with 40,000 to 50,000 people in it and say, ‘Listen, this is the link to vote. This is how you guys do it.’ And we got a lot of people who helped us getting to that point. And then we won. So that was pretty special.

Where are your parents from originally?

My mom is from Gambia, born and raised there. My two biggest siblings, they from Gambia, too. Daddy is from Germany and went to Gambia in 1990, I believe, and met my mom. And then she went to Germany then and in 1990 and I was born. We always go back to Gambia to see our family and it keeps you humble. So, seeing all that, seeing our family there and what they have and what we got always humbles you as well. And that’s how we want to live by as a family.

So, you got fans rooting for you in Gambia?

Yes, but we’re everywhere, though. In Gambia. We got people in Sweden and Denmark. We were just in London, England. All over the world. People in Gambia, when they grow up, their goal is to get to Europe. They really think Europe is paradise. But then when they get here it is kinda still tough. You still got to work and do all your stuff and get your things right to still live a good life.

What do you think about the American team and the challenges that you could potentially have playing against it?

They’re the avengers. Have you seen the movie, Avengers? Their quality … we ain’t got to talk about that. Their quality is just insane. I mean to have on that team, probably eight to 10 people who are going to be Hall of Famers. I don’t want to step on nobody’s toes, maybe even 12. But it’s a team that has a lot of quality, a lot of firepower, a lot of shooting, can play fast. A lot of GOATs out there.

If we do our things right as our team, if we play on a high level and we do the things we can do, I take us over anybody. That’s not being not arrogant, but just the high level of character we have in this locker room and the IQ. Our chemistry is the biggest thing.

So, they have a lot of firepower. But we got our team chemistry and everybody knows how to play. It’s going to be a hard fight. If we have a perfect game against them, it’s still a possibility to lose. That’s what you have to understand. If we play a perfect game to whatever team, we probably win by 15, 20, 30 points. But if you have a perfect game against the States, you still might lose. And that’s the scary part about it.

What are your thoughts for next year with the Nets?

I want to be in Brooklyn long-term. Hopefully that works out. I want to be a veteran who shows the young people the way and how we should play and how we play as a team. I understand that the NBA is always more individual, but I want to make one team like we had in Atlanta where it was about just winning and really not [caring] who scores.

And I want to bring that back to the NBA, to the Brooklyn Nets. And hopefully they see the same vision and of course still compete on the highest level, but that’s going to take some time.

Have you talked to new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who also coaches the Canadian national team?

When he got announced that he got the head coach [job], we were at the same hotel. He was there for a press conference and we sat down. I like what he’s doing with the [Canadian] national team as well. Hopefully he sees what I am doing. My agent was talking to him as well. We are just going to see what we can do and if not, I understand. People always saying that the NBA is family, but at the end of the day, it’s a business.

When I got traded, the first two months was really like family and [the Nets] made sure my family is good. They texted my mom in Germany and my wife and made sure that I was good. Hopefully, it’s going to be one of those [relationships], because if I feel comfortable, anything is possible. And that’s not just FIBA, Europe, it’s in the league, too. I want to compete on the highest level and I’m going to go at people and want to showcase myself. Hopefully we can build something in Brooklyn.