The German basketball players would have preferred to avoid the escalation in the Zoff between captain Dennis Schröder and Maximilian Kleber shortly before the World Cup in Asia.
“We can’t change anything about the situation now, but of course we’re looking forward positively,” said the German Basketball Association (DBB) on Wednesday. The association felt compelled to react publicly after NBA star Schröder first verbally attacked his teammate and Kleber then decided that he no longer wanted to take part in the world title fights this summer. Schröder and Kleber are said to have already spoken out, the DBB said: “Everything has been clarified internally.”
Kleber does not feel welcome in the national team
Nevertheless, it can be assumed that something of this quarrel will stick and that it will be discussed again and again in the preparation for the World Cup (August 25th to September 10th) with the preliminary round in Japan. From the rather cool DBB statement, from which no word of regret about the events can be read, it is at least clear that the 29-year-old Schröder from the Toronto Raptors will remain the leader of the team. “We will start the training camp in Bonn on July 31, 2023 with a highly motivated team led by team captain Dennis Schröder,” it said.
He himself announced on Tuesday evening that the 31-year-old Kleber from the Dallas Mavericks would not be one of them. The recent “unfortunate and inappropriate public statements” about him made it 100 percent clear that he was not fully welcome in the national team,” Kleber was quoted as saying in a statement by the Main-Post newspaper on Tuesday. “It’s not my goal to destroy the good chemistry in the team from last summer.” He didn’t want to “become a source of distraction” and decided that “it’s best if I don’t play.”
Kleber was reacting to words from Schröder, who expressed his displeasure with Kleber’s nomination for the preparatory courses in the “Got Nexxt” podcast because he had canceled for the European Championships the previous year. Schröder criticized the reasoning behind the cancellation of the Dallas Mavericks head coach Gordon Herbert by Kleber, who was suffering from knee problems at the time. “Maxi wasn’t there last year,” said Schröder. “If you haven’t made a commitment – that was actually the message for all of us – then you won’t be there next year either.”
Schröder felt misunderstood in the harshness of his statements and explained himself in a video on his YouTube channel on Tuesday. “It was not meant in a bad way. If that came across as weird, Maxi, I apologise. That should be zero negative,” he says. From his point of view, Schröder described it as “unfair” if players are preferred who were not part of the national team in 2022. At the same time, however, he made it clear that the decision on the nomination clearly rests with national coach Gordon Herbert. “As a captain, you should stand up for your players,” said Schröder.
“Will try to make history again”
Herbert himself has not yet commented on the events, DBB President Ingo Weiss referred to the statement when asked by dpa. However, Herbert and Association Vice President Armin Andres had a personal conversation with Kleber, and Schröder was also contacted by the duo. Details of the talks are not yet known.
At the 2022 European Championship, the national team sensationally won bronze under Schröder’s leadership, and the goals are also high at the World Cup. “Like last year, we will try to make history because of course we have a lot of talent in the dressing room,” said Schröder. Kleber is now missing an experienced professional who has been playing in the strongest league in the world since 2017, but reportedly has no easy time in the selection. For a direct ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the DBB selection would have to be one of the two best European teams at the World Cup.
Kleber will “cheer on and support the team as a fan”, added the native of Würzburg, who is still under contract in Dallas until 2026. Due to injuries and self-chosen breaks, the Würzburg player was often absent from the national team, the last time he wore the German jersey was at the World Cup in China in 2019. Kleber has 30 international matches, Schröder 65 appearances. The man from Braunschweig wasn’t there every summer either.
2023-07-19 11:22:31
#Zoff #Schröder #Kleber #change
