Australia will face a Germany team that is missing NBA player Dennis Schroeder due to insurance issues in the Tokyo Olympic group stage.
“The reason is…the prohibitively high insurance premiums,” the German basketball federation (DBB) stated in a statement.
Schroeder, who previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers but is now free agent, said he had “always dreamed” of attending the Olympics.
“Of course, I’m disappointed that I’m unable to run out with my teammates and compete in this significant tournament,” he said.
Schroeder had already missed Germany’s successful qualification tournament in Croatia due to insurance concerns, but hoped that a way to attend the Games could be found.
The difficulty stems from Schroeder’s free agency, as he hopes to sign a new deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars with a club in August – a sum that the DBB cannot insure, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from Australia, Germany’s Tokyo B group phase opponents are Italy and Nigeria.