After the scuffle off the court: Dirk Nowitzki speaks plainly about the escalation between Schröder and Doncic—and why he still understands both sides.
Basketball star Dirk Nowitzki has criticized the escalation between national team captain Dennis Schröder and Luka Doncic off the court, but also showed understanding for the quarreling parties. “That’s not part of the game. Normally, what happens on the court stays on the court. After that, everything is forgotten. So it’s very, very unfortunate. I hope, of course, that this doesn’t happen again,“ the TV expert at Prime Video told the German Press Agency before the NBA game in Berlin.
Schröder is said to have tried to hit another player around 40 minutes after his Sacramento Kings’ defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of December. Schröder ”waited for the other player in a corridor of the hall and started the confrontation,” according to a statement from the league. According to US media reports, the other player was Lakers star Doncic. Schröder declined to comment on the suspension and the circumstances when asked by dpa. The 32-year-old was suspended for three games by the NBA.
Nowitzki: Both love competition
Nowitzki has played with Schröder and Doncic, but has not spoken to either of them about the incident. However, the two NBA pros have often clashed in the league and in international games, Nowitzki said. There had also been verbal exchanges on the court during the game. It is therefore not necessarily surprising that the situation got a little out of hand, “but it is of course unfortunate,” said the 47-year-old, who also emphasized: “Both love competition and are very competitive.”
