Friday, July 16, 2021
Hope for NBA star in vain
Basketball player to Tokyo without Schröder
DBB national coach Henrik Rödl has already suspected: The association cannot afford insurance for Dennis Schröder and the German basketball players have to travel to the Olympics without the NBA star. The 27-year-old is “of course very disappointed”.
As expected, basketball star Dennis Schröder will be absent from the German national team at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The German Basketball Federation (DBB) announced the final decision. The reason is the high insurance requirements that prevented Schröder from participating in the qualifying tournament in Split / Croatia. There the 27-year-old watched as a spectator how the team surprisingly qualified for the Olympics.
“I would have loved to be there in Tokyo. It’s the Olympic Games, that’s pretty much the greatest for an athlete, and I’ve always dreamed of participating in the Olympics,” said Schröder: “I’m of course very disappointed that I can’t play and fight with the team in this important tournament. ” He was “the team’s biggest fan” at the upcoming mega-event, Schröder continued.
No agreement with an insurance company
National coach Henrik Rödl had already had little hope of a turnaround in the Schröder case last Wednesday during the media training in Trier. “We had to reckon with this development. But it is of course clear that you leave no stone unturned for a world-class player like Dennis,” said the coach after the final decision: “Dennis is part of the team, he showed that not least in Split. We are very happy about his support. “
Rödl had previously nominated the twelve players who bought the ticket in Croatia for Tokyo. On Sunday, the DBB convoy set out for Japan, a week later (6.40 a.m. German time) the national team will meet Italy for the start of the Olympic Games. Most recently, the DBB tried to find a solution to the Schröder case.
Even before the qualifying tournament, this was not possible due to its high market value in coordination between Schröder’s management, DBB and an insurance company. Schröder, who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the US professional league NBA, is currently a “free agent” and therefore more difficult to insure.
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