WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Atlanta Hawks suspended German guard Dennis Schroder for one game without pay for failure to report to the team on time after the NBA All-Star break.
Schroder was to serve his one-game suspension on Friday when the Hawks hosted the Miami Heat.
“Dennis has played an important role for our team and been a significant contributor to our success this season,” president of basketball operations and head coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement Friday.
“We are disappointed that he did not return to the team on time and we have discussed this with him. We look forward to him rejoining the team in Orlando tomorrow night.”
Schroder, 23, said a visa problem delayed his return to the United States from Germany.
The Hawks’ starting point guard missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, posting a picture of himself on Instagram with his passport captioned “FINALLY GOT MY VISA & CAN GET BACK TO WORK !!!”
On Friday he said he had obtained a new passport in Berlin, and “didn’t realize that I had to put my new visa in there,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“The Hawks organization and the NBA tried to get me as soon as possible a meeting with the consulate. We didn’t make it in time. I’m sorry for me, my teammates and the organization,” he told reporters.
In 56 games this season, Schroder is averaging career highs of 17.5 points and 6.3, and also pulling down an average 2.9 rebounds per game.
© Agence France-Presse
