OKC Thunder Trivia: uncovering 50 fun, surprising and random facts

Schroder was a sk8er boy.

Before basketball, Dennis Schroder was a big fan of skateboarding. He told Grantland:

"“When I was like 6, my brother took me to the park near our house in Braunschweig, Germany, and taught me to skate. We skated on everything: rails, ledges. My older brother had a couple offers to go pro — he thought I was good enough, too — but we started playing basketball instead: three-on-three, four-on-four in the park. But skating was my first favorite sport. I skate still for fun.”"

Schroder, now 24 years old and signed to the OKC Thunder, may have had a different athletic path were it not for a defining moment in his life. After his father, Axel, died of a heart attack in his hometown of Braunschweig, Germany, Schroder was left without a manager.

One day when looking through items, Schroder came across a letter from his father that changed everything. It was a reminder of a conversation they’d had a week earlier about basketball, and what it could do for their family.

From there, Schroder’s life changed. While he still skateboards, it’s only a hobby now. If you’re worried about that hobby potentially de-railing his basketball career with a nasty injury, rest assured:

"“I mean, I’m not doing dangerous stuff anymore. Just going to the grocery store. I usually stay on the sidewalk. I’m not doing kickflips much.”"