The stage is set for the finale of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. After weeks of joy, heartbreak, and drama, Germany and Turkey are set to face off against each other for the crown. While both teams have a lot of similarities– from their perfect records to their best players stepping up when their team needed them the most– there’s one huge difference between the two teams. What’s that, you might ask? Well, it’s how they are approaching the gold medal matchup tomorrow night.

On one hand, we have the Turks, who are quite confident in their abilities. So much so that their head coach, Ergin Ataman, has wasted almost no time in making a bold statement ahead of their final clash against the World Champions. “If I am in the final, I will win,” he claimed. “I’m ready to have fists tomorrow when we win the cup.” Well, they do have all the reasons to have faith in themselves after how dominating Alperen Sengun and Co. have been.

However, still making such a huge claim, that too, when you’re going against a team like Germany, could backfire. Speaking of which, the Germans have taken a completely different approach, as they seem to be solely focusing on themselves, as revealed by their superstar guard, Dennis Schroder, in a fitting reply to the Turkish head coach. “I mean, we try to focus on ourselves,” the Sacramento Kings guard said.

“I know the strategy he’s trying to do. And it’s been working for him for sure. So, at the end of the day, good job. We just try to focus on ourselves, go out, compete, stay together as a team, and bring the trophy home,” he added. This subtle yet powerful verbal exchange between Turkey’s Coach Ataman and Germany’s veteran guard Dennis Schroder has added a whole layer of excitement for this historic battle. Historically, the Germans have had an upper hand in this fixture, winning 7 of their 11 previous clashes at FIBA events, meaning they have a 64% head-to-head edge over the Turkish team.

Nonetheless, this will be Turkey’s chance to not only improve its record against Germany, but also to claim its maiden FIBA EuroBasket crown; for the Germans, it’s totally different. That’s because if Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, and the rest of the German roster get the win, they’ll enter a very exclusive club. They’ll join the Soviet Union (USSR) and Spain as the only teams that have held the FIBA World Championship and the FIBA EuroBasket crowns simultaneously. Moreover, this title might also help Schroder etch his name in history.

NBA Insider thinks FIBA success could help Dennis Schroder enter the HOF

The NBA is so stacked with talent that sometimes we tend to forget that only the best of the best make it to the league. It’s not until we see some of the rotational players suit up for their national teams or maybe play outside of the States that people truly understand just how good they are. Sacramento Kings and Germany guard Dennis Schroder might be the perfect example of this, as even though he’s not been a bona fide superstar at any of his franchise’s, for the German national team, he’s their Superman.

The 31-year-old’s most recent run to the finals with his nation has proved exactly that yet again. So far in the tournament, the six-foot-one guard has averaged a staggering 20.9 points along with 3.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists. Now, he’s just one step away from glory, and ESPN’s Tim Bontemps thinks that if he adds the FIBA EuroBasket championship to his already stacked national team resume, Schroder might have a real shot at being a future Hall of Famer.

While chatting along with other reporters on Brian Windhorst’s ‘Hoop Collective Podcast’, Bontemps made this bold claim. “Dennis Schröder is going to make the Hall of Fame, and I think he’s definitely going to make the Hall of Fame if they win this tournament, which is going to cause people to go berserk. It’s a World Basketball Hall of Fame of all levels,” he said. Well, that’s without a doubt a good shout from Bontemps, given that basketball is a global game.

“When you look at Dennis Schröder’s international career, I think if they win this tournament, he’s going to make the Hall of Fame eventually as an international entry, which will, I’m sure, cause people to go crazy,” Tim added. “But he’s got a pretty damn good international resume if they win this thing.” Although Schroder is yet to even be an All-Star, he’s already a World Champion and might be a European champion tomorrow. Not to mention, he also won the FIBA World Cup MVP back in 2023.

So, while history tells us that the Hall of Fame is for the best players in the NBA, who have achieved monumental success in the league, Bontemps believes that it’s only right that the committee starts giving flowers to some of the best international talent. Now, it’s debatable whether Dennis Schroder deserves a place in the Hall of Fame or not, but no one can deny that he’ll go down as one of the best hoopers in Germany’s history, especially if he adds another title to his name tomorrow in Latvia.