Dennis Schröder has officially sent his letter of apology to Maxi Kleber upon creating that recent unwanted rift with the big man for Germany which caused massive speculations from various international basketball circles.
“I would like to apologize to Maxi Kleber and his family for my statements and the inconvenience they caused,” Schroder said in a statement that was published on the website of the German Basketball Federation, via Eurohoops. “It was never my intention to put anyone in an awkward situation or upset on the team. My intention was just to stand up for my team and make it clear that I would do anything for my team.”
“All of this was never something personal against Maxi Kleber from my side,” Schroder added. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am a direct type and always assume that the person I am talking to understands what I mean by what I say, but I have once again been shown that this is not always the case. I still appreciate and respect him and his career and hope he accepts my apologies.”
In a podcast appearance this July, Schröder vehemently questioned Kleber’s motives for not playing in last year’s EuroBasket.
The veteran guard also criticized Kleber’s intent to further hone his skills during last year’s offseason, calling him out for not even having any game to improve.
As a response, the Dallas Mavericks center released a statement and went on to detail his reasons for his ineligibility for the Germans in the EuroBasket, citing the need to rest and recover from his injuries in the 2021-22 season. He also announced his unavailability for his home nation at the world championships in order not to create further distractions in the wake of Schröder’s ranting.
For his part, German coach Gordon Herbert made it clear that the feud between Schröder and Kleber was finally resolved.
“The situation that arose is unfortunate, but we were able to discuss, reflect and resolve it internally,” Herbert said in his address, via Eurohoops. “Dennis showed strength with his apology. Dennis takes great care of his teammates. He is very proud and honored to represent his country.”
It remains to be seen if Kleber will have a significant change of mind from these remorseful words of Schröder as his shooting and versatility would be vital for Germany’s World Cup campaign.
The Germans are set to play against Japan, Australia, and Finland in the group stage of the prestigious tournament.
