NBA star Dennis Schroder makes football debut - in the SIXTH tier

Tom Weber

• Updated: 31 May 2024 17:08 BST
• 3 min read

NBA star Dennis Schröder has been spotted playing lower-league football in Germany.

The 2023 World Cup final MVP was recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets after spending eight months with the Toronto Raptors. However, with the 2023/24 NBA season having come to a close in April, Schröder is having a bit of free time, and it seems that he is putting that time to good use.

The Nets point guard was recently seen making his debut in football in Germany - in the sixth tier. 30 minutes before the Landesliga game between FC Germania Bleckenstedt and 1. SC Göttingen 05, Schröder turned up in his Rolls Royce with bag in hand ready to play.

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Wearing kit number 17, Schröder started on the left wing for Bleckenstedt and played a solid 62 minutes before being substituted. Nobody involved wanted to risk injury for the German superstar and he duly shied away from challenges prior to his substitution.

But why did the World Cup winner suddenly turn up in the sixth tier?

Schroder trying to stay fit

The reason is pretty simple. Schroder is trying to keep himself fit during the NBA offseason. But why sixth-tier side Bleckenstedt? It is because Schröder's brother Daniel Ziolo plays in midfield for the Landesliga outfit.

During offseasons, Schröder usually spends his time near his hometown Braunschweig and has occasionally been spotted at Bleckenstedt games in the past.

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Speaking after the game, Schröder revealed that his footballing debut was really only a matter of time. "I have always wanted to play alongside my brother-in-law," he said. The 30-year-old's appearances didn't come entirely out of the blue as he actually needed a permit to be allowed to play in a competitive match.

Despite having a world-class athlete in their ranks, Bleckenstedt were demolished 5-1 by top-spot-chasing Göttingen. Coach Gökhan Arikoglu said afterwards: "When I told him that we were playing against the second-placed team, even the megastar was a little nervous."