Captain Dennis Schroeder believes world champion Germany can compete for summer Olympic basketball gold even though the United States is scheduled to send many talented players to the Paris Games.
Germany won its first world title last year, defeating a U.S. team missing several NBA stars in the World Cup semifinals and then defeating Serbia.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Schroder told Kicker Sports on Monday that further success at the Paris Olympics will be more difficult, but not impossible.
“In Paris they lebron jamessteph curry jayson tatum, kevin durant, anthony davis, jimmy butler And other superstars. It will be difficult, but nothing is impossible and we have a chance,” Schroeder said.
Schröder reiterated his desire to be Germany's standard bearer at the opening ceremony on July 26th. Dirk Nowitzki He got this honor in Beijing in 2008 and hopefully got it with all of his German teammates.
“If you're not a basketball player now, when will you be? We won the World Cup title! I want all 12 of us to carry the flag. I'm serious,” he said.
Schröder, 30, also said his goal is to play for many more years, saying, “I can comfortably play until I'm 40.''
“I'll be in the NBA until I'm 35 or 36, and then I can go back to Germany and change the league a little bit,” he said, hoping to one day win a German title with his old team Braunschweig.
