Scared off by DBB captain
Maximilian Kleber no longer wants to go to the World Cup
7/19/2023 12:52 am
The national basketball team travels to the World Cup in Asia without Maximilian Kleber. The Forward no longer feels “unreservedly welcome” and cancels his participation. He had previously been criticized by DBB captain Dennis Schröder.
After severe criticism from NBA star Dennis Schröder, national team colleague Maximilian Kleber has decided not to take part in the basketball world championship. The recent “unfortunate and inappropriate public statements” about him made it 100 percent clear that he was not unreservedly welcome in the national team,” the “Main-Post” quoted a statement from Kleber. “It’s not my goal to be good Destroying chemistry in last summer’s team. I also don’t want to become a source of distraction. So I’ve decided it’s best for everyone involved if I don’t play,” the forward continued.
Kleber was responding to criticism from Schröder, who expressed his displeasure with Kleber’s nomination in the “Got Nexxt” podcast. The Dallas Mavericks player did not take part in the European Championship last year because he had knee problems. Schröder criticized the reason Kleber head coach Gordon Herbert was supposed to have given up. “… if you say to Gordon Herbert: I’m Maxi, and I want to practice ball handling and work on my game in the summer – Maxi, sorry, but you don’t have a game. You throw in the corner, you defend. You’re a pick- and roll players,” Schröder said in the podcast.
Kleber now wrote: “Last summer’s (very tough) decision not to play was due to an injury I had played with for the last four months of the NBA 21-22 season. I needed a full recovery and rest “. If he had been healthy, he would have been happy and proud to have played for the national team.
At the European Championship 2022, the national team under Schröder’s leadership had sensationally won bronze, and at the World Cup, which starts in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines at the end of August, the ambitions are also high. The German team meets hosts Japan, Australia and Finland in the preliminary round in Okinawa. For a direct ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the DBB selection would have to be one of the two best European teams. Kleber will “cheer on and support the team as a fan,” added the Würzburg native, who has a contract with Dallas until 2026.