FIBA World Cup 2023: German camp embroiled in controversy as Maxi Kleber opts out following Dennis Schröder's criticism

Germany is presently preparing for the FIBA World Cup. Although it is one of the teams with NBA talent, one NBA player will no longer be with the team.

Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber released a statement that he is backing out of representing Germany at this summer’s World Cup. His decision reportedly comes after Dennis Schroder criticized him.

The Toronto Raptor guard appeared on a podcast and threw shade at Kleber, calling out the sharpshooting he did after skipping the EuroBasket tournament last summer.

Kleber claims he sat out to take rest after a long NBA season. He also had to recover from some lingering injuries and wanted to work on his game on his own.

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Schroder questioned why Kleber suddenly wanted to rejoin Germany and said that Kleber didn’t have any game to work on since he has a simple package of skills mostly centered around shooting 3-pointers.

He also claimed that the Germany basketball federation stated that players who opted out in 2022, would not be allowed to play in 2023. Schroder agreed and thought it would be unfair to other players who put in the work last summer and also claimed that starting last year, the German federation wanted a three to four year commitment from players.

Schroder released his own statement on his YouTube channel in German and said his main issue was with Kleber skipping national team duties to “work on his game” and reiterated that the player knows what he is good at and what his role is after years in the NBA.

Kleber then released his own statement in German, where he announced that he will not be representing Germany in the tournament. He did not mention Schroder by name in the statement.

Which NBA players will be on Team Germany?

Dennis Schroder will captain the team, being the main playmaker and ball handler. Orlando Magic young star Franz Wagner has a chance to be one of the stars of the World Cup and could lead the team in scoring. His brother, Mo Wagner, is listed on the roster as well. His minutes are in question as he dealt with some injuries last season.

Indiana Pacers big man Daniel Theis is also on the roster. He will provide rebounding and veteran experience to the roster.