Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder was suspended three games on Saturday, two weeks following a postgame incident with Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic.
The former Boston Celtics guard was handed the punishment after attempting to strike Doncic after the Kings’ loss to the Lakers on Dec. 28.
“Doncic and Schroder jawed at each other during various points of the Kings’ 125-101 loss. During a timeout, Doncic taunted Schroder, telling him he ‘should’ve signed that contract’ in reference to the four-year, $82 million extension Schroder declined from the Lakers a few years ago,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported on Saturday night. “Things appeared to cool off as the game ended. But Schroder left the visitors locker room at Crypto.com Arena, spotted Doncic and tempers flared again inside the tunnel across from the home bench.”
The altercation occurred 40 minutes after the contest ended, per Slater’s report, with Schroder “telling Doncic that he can’t call him a ‘b—-‘ on the court and pretend everything is fine off the court.”
According to Slater, Los Angeles big man Deandre Ayton attempted to “drag away Schroder from the confrontation while a stunned Doncic attempted to exit as security intervened.”
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The 32-year-old German was eventually “escorted to the team bus as Kings coach Doug Christie and several teammates sought answers about the sudden drama.”
“Doncic and his father, Saša, eventually walked to their nearby car and left, as Schroder and his Kings teammates prepared to leave on the team bus,” Slater wrote.
Sacramento is Schroder’s 10th team in his 13-season career.
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He’s had two stints with Los Angeles and signed a one-year deal with the Celtics in August 2021. Schroder averaged 14.4 points and 4.2 assists across 49 games with Boston before a midseason trade to the Houston Rockets.
The Kings will host the Lakers on Monday night, though Schroder will still be serving his suspension.
Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images
