Against all odds: Dennis Schroder's inspiring journey of grit and determination to Paris 2024 Olympics

Defeating France 85-71 on Friday (3 August) at Paris 2024, Germany all but cemented their spot on the more favoured side of the men’s basketball quarter-finals draw having made it through the group stages unbeaten.

The man that led them there? Dennis Schroder.

At 30 years of age, Paris 2024 is Schroder’s first taste of an Olympic Games - and fans are starting to believe that he has what it takes to help Germany towards their first ever Olympic medal.

Schroder’s sporting life started on a board rather than the court.

The German was heavily involved with skateboarding and alongside his brother, would skate with friends at Prinzenpark in Braunschweig. When they grew tired of skating, they’d fill their days with informal games of basketball - and it was here that Schroder’s talent bloomed.

At eleven years of age, he was spotted in one of these games by coach Liviu Calin who persuaded Schroder to train and play with his U-14 SG Braunschweig side.

And it’s Calin who Schroder recognises as the figure that kick-started his career.

"He encouraged me to keep going and made me realise that I had talent," Schroder once said.

It was five years later in 2009, at the age of 16, when Schroder lost his father who had also played the sport.

"That's when I started to take basketball seriously," Schroder told the media. "I promised him and I'm doing it for the whole family."

Despite the talented coaches and teammates, it’s his father that Schroder cites as the person who turned him into a professional basketball player.

In the 2013 NBA draft, Schroder was selected by the Atlanta Hawks and subsequently made his move over to the United States. In the years to come, analysts would liken him to a ‘young Tony Parker’ before he signed a four-year, $70 million contract extension with the Hawks.

Throughout his Hawks career, Schroder consistently hit career-high points scores which continued even when he was traded to Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018.

Two years later in 2020, Schroder made his debut for the LA Lakers before moving to the Boston Celtics a year later.

Despite the setbacks of COVID-19, there’s no doubt that Schroder had made his mark on the NBA scene and was a player that seemed immune from fear.

“I always try to win, and I've had this coolness from the start," the point guard once said.

"I'm not afraid of anyone, whether it's Bobby Brown or Michael Jordan. I try not to show respect to my opponent."

The people of Germany have already demonstrated their support for Dennis Schroder, long before he even stepped foot on an Olympic court.

Ahead of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, the nation invited fans to vote for their preferred flagbearer - with Schroder and judoka Anna-Maria Wagner winning the responsibility.

"It's a huge honour for me to carry the flag,” he told the media. “I believe this will also make a statement in Germany, being the first dark-skinned person to do so."

Carrying the flag of his nation is an opportunity that Schroder used to speak out against the struggles he has faced.

“I am attacked because I am black, my wife Ellen because she is with a black man,” he told Spiegel Sport.

“I don't just see myself in the role of flagbearer because I am black and can therefore make a statement against racism. I also see it as an award for the achievements of the national basketball team in recent years.

“My mother is from Gambia and came to Germany as an immigrant. And with all the xenophobia and openly racist slogans on the Internet and on the streets, it is a strong sign that someone like me is allowed to carry the German flag," he said.

Schroder led Germany through an unbeaten 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign, seeing off Australia and United States in the process.

Alongside a World Cup winners medal, the 30-year-old was also named most valuable player of the tournament.

Heading into the Paris 2024 knock-outs, there is no doubt that an MVP and podium finish is well within reach for the trailblazing German who could be on the brink of making history for his nation.