Image Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento Kings Guard Dennis Schroder Faces Racial Abuse During Germany’s Win Over Lithuania at 2025 FIBA EuroBasket

Schroder dropped 26 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out six assists for Germany.

Image Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento Kings’ point guard and Germany captain Dennis Schroder faced racial abuse during his team’s 107-88 win over Lithuania at 2025 FIBA EuroBasket. According to Schroder, he and his teammates were subjected to monkey noises during the game that took place on Saturday, in Tampere, Finland. As a result of the incident, players and personnel from both teams engaged in a heated argument in the arena tunnel during halftime.

Dennis Schröder faced racial abuse during Germany’s 107-88 win over Lithuania at EuroBasket, with one fan making monkey noises, per WoodTV

Two people were ejected from the arena in Tampere, and FIBA later banned one fan from attending the rest of the tournament. pic.twitter.com/R8eToBXrQM
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 30, 2025

Talking about the incident, Schroder, 31, said “It was awesome. Great atmosphere. The Lithuanians, the fans, they always travel with the team. But unfortunately, at halftime, they made monkey noises.” He told reporters after the game, “Making monkey noises, that’s something I don’t respect. No matter what status, insults, that’s all fine. But racism simply doesn’t belong in this sport. That’s something that’s not OK.”

Later, Schroder took to social media to share a message to the abusers. He wrote, “I wish the people who made the monkey sounds were brave enough to do this outside of the arena, because I swear on my dad’s grave: he will be facing consequences that he cannot escape like he does inside the arena.”

FIBA Releases Official Statement, Bans Fan From Attending Remainder of 2025 EuroBasket

The German Basketball Association quickly took action, and revealed that two people were ejected from the arena for allegedly abusing the players. Not only this, but the International Basketball Federation, FIBA, released a statement and said that one fan was banned from attending the rest of the tournament because of their behavior. According to the international body, the CCTV footage of the incident has been forwarded to local law enforcement authorities who will continue its investigation.

FIBA statement on incident during FIBA #EuroBasket 2025 game between Germany and Lithuania
Statement. pic.twitter.com/WCy04dUDev
— FIBA Media (@FIBA_media) August 30, 2025

Its official statement reads, “FIBA unequivocally condemns hate speech, discriminatory conduct, and racist language in any form. Creating an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for players, teams, and fans remains a fundamental priority of our sport.”

Coming back to the game, Germany recorded a blowout win over Lithuania to book its spot in the knockout stage of the tournament. Schroder dropped 26 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out six assists while shooting 9-18 from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc. Apart from him, Franz Wagner came up with 24 points, and seven rebounds, while Daniel Theis poured in 23 points. As a team, Germany hit 19 three-pointers on 54% shooting.

Dennis Schroder

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.