Dennis Malik Schröder ( SHROO-der; German pronunciation: ['denɪs ˈʃʁøːdɐ]; born 15 September 1993) is a German professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for SG Braunschweig and Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, before joining the Atlanta Hawks for his first five seasons in the NBA. He is the sole owner of his German hometown team, Basketball Loewen Braunschweig of the Basketball Bundesliga, and had been the majority shareholder of the team since 2018.
Debuting for the German national team in 2014, Schröder helped the team to its first major medal in 17 years when Germany won bronze at the 2022 EuroBasket. In 2023, he led the national team to their first World Cup title at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup while being named the FIBA World Cup MVP. The following year, Schröder was the flag bearer for Germany along with judoka Anna-Maria Wagner at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He helped Germany to a fourth place finish and was named to the FIBA Olympics All-Star Five team. In 2025, he led Germany to the EuroBasket 2025 title.
Schröder is the son of an ethnic German father named Axel Schröder who played basketball in Gambia before meeting Schroder's Gambian mother Fatou, who gave birth to eldest brother Talha and the younger daughter Farida. Schröder has two elder half-siblings from Fatou's previous marriage before relocating to Germany. He and his brother were both heavily involved with skateboarding until he found basketball at age 11. He started focusing on the latter career after his father died in 2009, choosing to wear the jersey number 17 in his honor, as it was his favorite number. His agent was former German basketball national player Ademola Okulaja.
Phantoms Braunschweig (2010–2013)
Schröder started playing professional basketball in 2010 for SG Braunschweig, farm team of Phantoms Braunschweig. In his first season with SUM Baskets Braunschweig, he averaged 7.8 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game in a second-tier German league. In the 2011–12 season he made a breakthrough, averaging 17.8 points and 6.7 assists over 23 regular-season games. His team went in the playoffs where he averaged 18.8 points and 5.1 assists over four games. In the same season, he also played 30 games for Phantoms Braunschweig of the German league, averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 assists and 0.8 rebounds in about 8 minutes per game.
In the 2012–13 season he played 32 games for Phantoms Braunschweig, averaging 12 points, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. For the season, he was named the League's Most Improved Player as well as Best Young German Player.
In 2013, Schröder was announced to play at the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit for the World Select Team. Before officially playing at the Nike Hoop Summit, Schröder decided to declare for the 2013 NBA draft. On 20 April 2013, Schröder led his team to a 112–98 win. He finished with 18 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in 29 minutes.
On 27 June 2013, Schröder was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. On 11 July 2013, he signed with the Hawks. Schröder's minutes were cut due to frequent turnovers early in the season, with Shelvin Mack taking over the second-string point guard. He spent time in the NBA Development League in December, with the Bakersfield Jam, and finished his rookie season playing in just 49 games for the Hawks, with 3.7 points in 13.1 minutes per game.
On 22 December 2014, Schröder scored a career-high 22 points in a 105–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Schröder participated in the Rising Stars Challenge on 13 February 2015, recording 13 points, a game-high nine assists and three steals in Team World's 121–112 win over Team USA. His performance was lauded by ESPN analysts as looking like a "young Tony Parker". On 15 March 2015, he had 24 points and 10 assists in a 91–86 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Schröder had a "breakout year" in 2014–15, increasing his averages to 10.0 points and 4.1 assists in 19.7 minutes per game, appearing in 77 regular season games with 10 starts.
Schröder continued to play behind All-Star Jeff Teague in 2015–16, making just six starts in 80 games. He averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 assists in 20.3 minutes per game, shooting 42% from the field and 32% from 3-point range, leading to defenders often daring him to shoot the three. On 20 February 2016, he recorded 25 points and 10 assists in a 117–109 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 1 of the Hawks' second round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Schröder scored a playoff career-high 27 points in a 104–93 loss.
On 26 October 2016, Schröder signed a four-year, $70 million contract extension with the Hawks. He took the reins as the Hawks' lead guard in 2016–17 following Teague's trade to the Indiana Pacers. On 8 November 2016, Schröder scored a then career-high 28 points in a 110–106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On 30 November 2016, he scored 14 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of the Hawks' 109–107 loss to the Phoenix Suns. On 9 December 2016, he set a new career high with 33 points in a 114–110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 5 of the Hawks' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards, Schröder led the Hawks with 29 points, making a career-high-tying five 3s, and 11 assists in a 103–99 loss.
On 23 December 2017, Schröder matched his career high with 33 points, including 27 in the second half, to help the Hawks beat the Dallas Mavericks 112–107. On 12 January 2018, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 110–105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. On 20 March 2018, he set a new career high with 41 points in a 99–94 win over the Utah Jazz.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2018–2020)
On 25 July 2018, Schröder was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team deal involving the Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first season in Oklahoma, he was positioned as the team's sixth man, coming off the bench behind superstar point guard Russell Westbrook. In his debut for the Thunder in their season opener on 16 October, Schröder recorded 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 108–100 loss to the Golden State Warriors. On 7 November, he scored a then season-high 28 points in a 95–86 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On 21 November, he scored a season-high 32 points off the bench in a 123–95 win over the Warriors. On 1 February 2019, he scored 24 of his 28 points in the second quarter of the Thunder's 118–102 win over the Miami Heat. On 3 March, he recorded 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a 99–95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. His second season with the team saw him in the role of the sixth man yet again, this time behind veteran All-Star point guard Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Schröder led the league in scoring off the bench with 18.9 points per game, while shooting a career-high 46.9% from the field, including 38.5% on 3-point field goals. He finished as the runner-up to Montrezl Harrell in voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)
On 18 November 2020, Schröder was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Danny Green and the draft rights to first-round pick Jaden McDaniels. On 22 December 2020, Schröder made his Lakers debut, putting up 14 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, in a 116–109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. At the end of March 2021, there were rumors that he rejected the Lakers' contract extension offer of four years, $84 million to pursue a larger deal in the off-season as an unrestricted free agent which he later clarified was not true. He was sidelined twice during the season due to the league's COVID-19 health protocols, including missing seven games late in the season. Schröder started 61 games during the regular season, averaging 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per games and shooting 43.7% shooting from the field and 33.5% on 3-pointers. His numbers dropped in the playoffs to 14.3 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 40.3% from the field and 31.9% from three-point range, and the Lakers were eliminated in six games by Phoenix. During the off-season, the Lakers traded for point guard Russell Westbrook, signaling that the Lakers would inevitably be moving on from Schröder.