Two former Celtics go viral for crazy on-court brawl during Olympic Qualifying game

Former Boston Celtics players Dennis Schroder and Evan Fournier have gone viral for a heated on-court altercation.

Never teammates, the two are now heated on-court rivals. Never again will these two share an NBA court and not have this incident mentioned by the announcers.

The two competitors let their emotions get the best of them during an Olympic Qualifying exhibition game between France and Germany.

Global sensation Victor Wembanyama led France to a one-sided 90-66 victory with 25 points, five rebounds, and five 3-pointers in less than 20 minutes of action. However, the Schroder-Fournier brawl has stolen the show, trending on social media and dominating NBA Twitter headlines.

Schroder started talking to Fournier and put his hands on his shoulders before Fournier escalated things by grabbing Schroder’s neck and shoving him. With nearly 20,000 fans in attendance, the German stadium became rowdy for one of the rare occurrences in modern-day pro basketball: a physical fight. Fournier was ejected, and Schroder ended the contest with 23 points.

Dennis Schroder and Evan Fournier both had brief stints with the Celtics

Fournier and Schroder separately played for the Celtics in back-to-back seasons. The Celtics shipped a few second-round picks to acquire Fournier at the 2020-21 trade deadline before letting the Frenchman walk the following offseason due to a lack of fit and chemistry with the team. 

Despite his incompatibility with Boston’s system, Fournier still shot 46.1% from three in 16 regular-season outings as a Celtic. The veteran shooting guard put together some noteworthy performances during his brief time in Beantown.

Schroder had a much more fruitful tenure with Boston during the 2021-22 season, averaging 14.4 points and 4.2 assists across 49 games (25 starts). Unfortunately, the German point guard’s ball-dominant playstyle did not mesh well with the Celtics’ efforts to improve their ball movement. General manager Brad Stevens ended up trading Schroder half a season into his time as a Celtic.

Even though he only played with him for five months, Schroder has maintained a close relationship with Jayson Tatum since then. This past January, Schroder gave Tatum his jersey after the Celtics beat the Raptors and signed it, "Brodie 4 Life ... Go get that chip this year ... PS: Top 5."

Following their latest meeting, Tatum had great things to say about his former teammate.

"We only got to play with each other for five months before the trade but ... Great guy, great teammate, super competitive … We had hard conversations, but I got a lot of respect for him. At his core, he just wants to win. He’s a hell of a competitor."

- Jayson Tatum

While Fournier and Schroder both lasted just half of a season with the Celtics, they have each played for multiple teams since. Schroder has one more year left on his current deal with the Toronto Raptors, while Fournier just became a free agent after playing for the Detroit Pistons in a reserve role last season.

The Celtics have one roster spot open, but Fournier would not make sense as a final signing for Boston despite his familiarity with some of the Banner 18 players. The reigning champs will likely keep the 15th roster spot open or bring back Oshae Brissett to fill it.