Schröder reveals ’emotional’ reason he’ll wear No. 71 with Warriors

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Schröder reveals ’emotional’ reason he’ll wear No. 71 with Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Before Dennis Schröder was a 12-year NBA veteran and international inspiration, he was a 16-year-old boy lost and unsure where his life would take him.

It was 2009. Like nearly every teen boy, he turned to his father, Axel, who, like him, wanted his son to pursue a career in basketball.

The younger Schröder had other interests, though, growing up in Braunschweig, Germany, such as skateboarding and soccer. He didn’t really find an interest in basketball until a later age.

But one conversation with his father changed everything.

Axel played pro basketball in Gambia, where he met his wife and Dennis’ mother, Fatou Schröder. But Axel wanted – and knew – his son could take his game to the next level in the greatest basketball league in the world.

“I mean, he was more of a supporter,” Schröder said of his father at his introductory press conference Tuesday after being traded to the Warriors. “He didn’t really, really play. But he was my biggest supporter every time when I had practice, when I had a game, he came and we always talked about basketball.

“He always said, ‘This is what you can do for a living. You can help your whole family with it, carry the load for your family, making sure everybody’s good.’ And he was right. He passed away after that conversation – six days later – and then everything switched for me.

“The goal was to play in the NBA, and I’m still doing it. My 12th season now, and [I’m] more than grateful to be here and don’t take it for granted every single day, every single game, I’m going to go out and treat it like it’s my last. So it’s great to do that for him.”

After his dad’s passing, Schröder wasted no time taking his late father’s advice.

He began playing professional basketball in 2010 for SG Braunschweig, in which he averaged 7.8 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game in his first year. The following season, he flourished, averaging 17.8 points and 6.7 assists in 23 games.

His team went to the playoffs, where he averaged…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/schr-der-reveals-emotional-reason-040609142.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-12-18 04:06:00

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