NBA Pioneer Detlef Schrempf Sees Europeans Transform the Game

Forty years ago, European basketball players were dismissed as "soft" and unwelcome in the NBA. Today, they're the league's brightest stars, and German trailblazer Detlef Schrempf couldn't be prouder.

As Memphis and Orlando prepared for the first regular season NBA game in Berlin, the three-time All-Star reflected on how far the league has come. "The NBA has gone global," Schrempf said, watching a transformation he helped spark decades ago.

The numbers tell an incredible story. No American player has won the NBA MVP award since 2018. France's Victor Wembanyama, Slovenia's Luka Doncic, Serbia's Nikola Jokic, and Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo now lead the league.

Schrempf remembers when just two scouts attended European championships before the draft. Now every NBA team deploys multiple scouts worldwide, hunting for the next generation of talent that was always there but never given a chance.

His own journey proved the doubters wrong. Drafted by Dallas in the 1980s, Schrempf became "Det the Threat" with the Indiana Pacers and Seattle Supersonics. He took Michael Jordan's legendary Bulls to six games in the 1996 NBA Finals, earning respect one hard-fought possession at a time.

The 6-foot-10 forward brought a European style that puzzled American coaches. Big men who could dribble, pass, and shoot from distance? That wasn't how basketball worked in the States, where tall players were planted under the basket.

"I always said it's a lot harder to play European championships, world championships or Olympics than playing NBA games," Schrempf explained. He wasn't trying to change perceptions. He was just playing basketball the way he'd been taught.

The Ripple Effect

Schrempf's success opened doors that changed the sport forever. Grant Hill, now an Atlanta Hawks co-owner, credits him with paving the way for skilled big men who define today's NBA. Together with fellow German great Dirk Nowitzki, Schrempf created the archetype modern teams now seek.

The impact reaches beyond individual players. Germany eliminated the United States en route to winning the 2023 FIBA World Championship. European basketball isn't just competing anymore. It's leading.

Schrempf believes the European training system made the difference. Young players practice three times daily if they want, developing complete skill sets regardless of height. American youth programs, restricted by high school and college rules, can't keep pace.

"Nowadays, a youth player can learn the game much better in another system, not necessarily in the United States," he noted. His own children faced the old American approach: tall kids stay under the basket, forget the rest.

Watching Jokic orchestrate plays like a point guard in a center's body, Schrempf sees the future he helped build. "It's a whole different level, what he brings to the game," he marveled.

The kid from Germany who refused to accept labels changed basketball forever, one skilled play at a time.