Germany Claims EuroBasket Gold as Schroder Makes History
Dennis Schroder led Germany to their first EuroBasket championship in 32 years with a thrilling 88-83 victory over Turkey in Sunday’s gold medal game.
The nail-biting final featured 15 lead changes and 11 ties as both teams refused to back down.
Schroder, Germany’s captain and newly crowned tournament MVP, orchestrated the offense with a championship game record 12 assists while adding 16 points. His clutch jumper with just 18.7 seconds remaining put Germany up by three points, effectively sealing the win.
“This means everything to us,” Schroder said after the game. “We’ve been building toward this moment for years.”
The victory capped off a perfect 9-0 tournament run for the Germans.
Turkey’s star center Alperen Sengun had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but missed a crucial three-pointer. Schroder then calmly sank two free throws to secure the gold medal.
What makes the win even more impressive is that 14 of Schroder’s 16 points came in the second half when his team needed him most.
This championship adds another impressive achievement to Schroder’s international resume. He previously led Germany to the quarterfinals in EuroBasket 2017, a bronze medal in 2022, and the country’s first-ever FIBA World Cup title in 2023, where he was also named Finals MVP.
The 31-year-old point guard now joins elite company as only the third German player to win EuroBasket MVP, following Chris Welp (1993) and Dirk Nowitzki.
Several NBA players participated in the tournament as a way to stay competitive before NBA training camps open later this month. For Schroder, it was the perfect preparation for the upcoming NBA season.
Basketball experts are now suggesting Schroder’s international accomplishments might eventually earn him Hall of Fame consideration – a remarkable achievement for a player who has often been underappreciated during his NBA career.
Germany’s last EuroBasket title came in 1993 with Welp leading the way. Now, 32 years later, Schroder has restored German basketball to European supremacy.
As the German team celebrated with their gold medals, the moment represented not just a tournament victory, but the culmination of years of growth for their national basketball program.
