Introduction to Racist Incident
German basketball star Dennis Schröder was subjected to racist abuse during the 107-88 victory of his team against Lithuania at the Eurobasket Championship 2025. "You can insult me, do what you want, but Monkey noises are not acceptable," he said to reporters after the game of Group B in Tampere, Finland. "Racism just doesn’t belong to this sport."
What Happened
The 31-year-old Schröder said that he and members of the Germany team heard the noises from the Lithuanian fan block while the teams left the court at halftime. "I wish that the people who made the monkey noises would have the courage to do it outside of the arena," Schröder later wrote on social media. "Because I then swear by my father’s grave, they would have to face the consequences that they escape in the arena."
Reactions to the Incident
The President of the German Basketball Association confirmed the incident and said: "Nowhere does that have something like that and certainly not in our colorful, diverse and tolerant basketball." Later, Schröder’s wife published screenshots of other racist insults aimed at her husband on social media. "If you are in the public eye, such insults are unfortunately a daily event," she wrote.
Apologies and Consequences
After they had been made aware of the incident, the Lithuanian players apologized to Schröder, while the Lithuanian basketball association President said: "We want to send a clear signal that this is absolutely unacceptable for us. It contradicts the values of the basketball and the values of our society." The world basketball governing body said "relevant video material and information passed on" to the local Finnish authorities and added that a viewer was identified as responsible for the abuse of racial abuse. "This person was forbidden to take part in Fiba Eurobasket 2025," they said.
