Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has had a ton of teammates throughout his NBA career. Some were fellow superstars while others that he built a connection with were role players and one of the better ones in his time with the Lakers was point guard Dennis Schroder.
Schroder had two different stints with the Lakers in 2021 and again in 2023 and his fearlessness and tenacity on both ends of the court stood out. And while Schroder has always been more of a role player in the NBA, he has been an absolute star in international play for his native country of Germany.
After leading Germany to their first European title in more than 30 years at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 this summer and being named EuroBasket MVP, there are some who have brought up the idea of Schroder having a case to make the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And in the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, James admitted that he could see it happening:
“I seen a lot of the stats as well and a lot of the accomplishments as well this summer after EuroBasket. If it happens, I wouldn’t be like ‘Oh my God I’m surprised!’ He’s put in the work, man… And that’s a big part of our game. The international game is a big part of our game in the whole grand scheme of things. What they’ve been able to accomplish, what they’ve been able to do, come here to America and play in our league and a lot of our guys go and play overseas as well. It’s all totality.”
It’s important to remember that the Hall of Fame isn’t just about the NBA, but basketball throughout the world and international competition absolutely matters. Schroder may not be an NBA All-Star, but he has been a very good player for a long time and has led Germany to unprecedented heights, having also led them to their first FIBA World Cup victory in 2023, where he was also named MVP.
LeBron is a student of the game and he recognizes the contributions Schroder has made on an international level. If that is enough to get him inducted, it will be a deserved one.
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