Dennis Schroder and Germany faced off against Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and Slovenia in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket competition. Germany won despite a masterful showing from Doncic, but one of the stories coming out of the game was the chippiness between him and Schroder.
The Germany star then faced against Doncic three times last NBA season, twice as a member of the Sacramento Kings and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After one of the contests, it was reported that Schroder slapped Doncic in an altercation outside the team’s locker room.
It was clear that something was going on between the two international stars, and it came to a head with their altercation last season. Recently, Schroder was asked about his relationship with Doncic and spoke about what went on during those EuroBasket games.
“Great player, man. Great player,” Schroder said of Doncic in a live stream with N3on. “We played against him last summer in the quarterfinals, and we were battling. He had like 43, we won the game though, and went to the semifinals and won the whole thing at the end. And then we played them two times in the preseason I think, and yeah, he was talking. When you talk, you can talk and talk, but when it gets to a stage where I have to check you, then I’m gonna check you. It’s not scary, I’m just saying, as a man. I got three kids, he has kids. At some point, I’m fine with the back and forth, but if it crosses a line, I’ll check you so it doesn’t get personal.”
Both Doncic and Schroder are prideful players on the court and are not willing to take anything from other players. They have a tendency to get chippy, both on the physical and mental side of the game, when they feel they are being disrespected. So it was only a matter of time before two players like that got into some form of on-court altercation, or in this case, outside the locker room.
Schroder is still able to give Doncic props for his abilities on the court, and recognizes that both are parents that don’t want family matters to bleed through on the court.
Mavericks rookie Sergio De Larrea idolized Luka Doncic
While Doncic has a bit of a reputation for getting chippy on the court, his play style is still an inspiration to young players, especially those that grew up internationally. Dallas Mavericks rookie Serigo De Larrea spoke about Doncic’s time at Real Madrid and the impact that it had on him as a young player.
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