Dennis Schroder helped lead Team Germany to Olympic history when the squad advanced to the 2024 basketball semifinals after beating Greece. Germany then lost to France and Serbia, eliminating their chance to medal, but Schroder had praise for his team and the European basketball scene. Schroder's post-Olympic comments seemed to strike a nerve in Phoenix Suns and Team USA star Kevin Durant, who seemingly gave a bold response to the Nets guard.
When asked to compare basketball in the NBA to the Olympics, Schroder originally gave this response:
"European basketbal is no entertainment. It's straight IQ basketball, straight coaching, and really, really high-IQ guys who know how to play the game," Schroder said after Germany's loss to Serbia, per Basket News.
After Team USA won gold, Kevin Durant crafted an X (formerly Twitter) post that seemed to take a shot a Schroder's comments:
ENTERTAINMENT & IQ pic.twitter.com/2e9dopdrJi
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) August 11, 2024
Schroder has broken the silence and boldly called Durant out for the post.
"They won, and Kevin Durant tweets, 'High IQ and entertainment.' For me, that's just being weak, Schroder claimed, via Basket News.
Dennis Schroder is not backing down
Schroder criticized the fact that Durant, a superstar, fired at "a person like" Schroder, who claimed his comments about Team USA were not meant to be negative. Schroder did not appreciate the comment, but still respects Team USA as "GOATs." Still, he claimed that Durant's post showed how weak of a person the Suns star is.
Durant may have thought Schroder's comments about European basketball being based on IQ with less emphasis on entertainment were shot at Team USA or the NBA's style of play. This could have prompted Durant's seeming response to Schroder. While the two players may disagree about each other's comments, they likely will not lose sleep and will continue to help their respective teams improve.
The Nets traded for Dennis Schroder in February of 2024 after his half-season tint with the Toronto Raptors. In 29 games with Brooklyn, the veteran guard averaged 14.9 points, 6.0 assists, and shot 41.3 percent on his three-pointers. After the Olympics, Schroder expressed a desire to stay with the Nets long-term, and his presence could aid the development of the team's young players.
It will be exciting to see what the rising 14th-year guard can do in Brooklyn during the 2024-25 season. Furthermore, fans will anxiously await the matchup between Schroder and Kevin Durant when the Nets and Suns face each other in their first matchup of the upcoming season on Nov. 27.