Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schröder has been suspended three games by the NBA for something that reportedly happened with Luka Dončić behind closed doors.
The league announced the punishment out of the blue Saturday, alleging that Schröder had confronted and attempted to strike another player following the Kings’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 28. Per the league, Schröder sought out the unidentified player in a Crypto.com Arena hallway and initiated a confrontation.
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According to Prime Video’s Chris Haynes, that player was Dončić.
The suspension will begin with the Kings’ game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. It’s unclear if Schröder is appealing or has already appealed the decision. A three-game suspension would include a game against Dončić’s Lakers on Monday.
Dennis Schröder apparently had a bone to pick with Luka Dončić after a game a couple weeks ago. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
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The Lakers won that game 125-101, breaking a three-game losing streak against a Kings team currently sitting in last place in the Western Conference at 8-30.
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While the NBA does not specify the other player involved, Dončić was the educated guess even before Haynes reported his identity. Schröder and Dončić were exchanging trash talk during the game and the Lakers star targeted what might have been a sore spot for Schröder.
Schröder has had two tenures with the Lakers. In the first, he was brought in to be the team’s starting point guard and eventually left in free agency after a disappointing postseason.
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It has been claimed that during the season, Schröder turned down a four-year, $84 million extension offer from the Lakers to test free agency. If that’s true, the bet on himself didn’t pay off, as he went on to sign only a one-year, $5.9 million deal with the Boston Celtics. Over the next four seasons, he made a total of approximately $34 million in salary from seven different teams, per Spotrac’s numbers.
Schröder has persistently denied any such offer was made, but the story has followed him ever since. And Dončić went right for it last month.
Apparently, Schröder had a problem with that.
The suspension takes away a player that ranked sixth on the Kings in points per game and second in assists while coming off the bench, though it’s hardly a long-term concern for a team crossing its fingers for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. If the suspension indeed begins Sunday, Schröder will miss games against the Rockets, Lakers and New York Knicks before being eligible to return against the Washington Wizards next Friday.
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Dončić, meanwhile, leads the NBA in scoring with 33.3 points per game along with 8.8 assists and 8.0 rebounds. It’s been rough sledding for the Lakers recently, though, with an 8-8 record since Dec. 1. The Lakers lost their last game to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
