Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki was born on the 19th of June 1978 in Würzburg, West Germany. He grew up as a very tall child who stood above his peers by a foot or more for most of his youth. His mother Helga played professional basketball and represented West Germany at the 1966 EuroBasket Women tournament. His father Jörg-Werner competed as a handball player for Germany at the highest international level. An older sister named Silke became a local track and field champion before also playing basketball.
Nowitzki initially played tennis and managed to become a ranked junior player in the German youth circuit. He soon grew tired of being called a "freak" because of his height. Watching the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball Dream Team caused him to gravitate toward basketball instead. The 15-year-old joined the local DJK Würzburg club where former German international Holger Geschwindner spotted his talent immediately.
Geschwindner offered to coach him individually two to three times per week after getting approval from Nowitzki and his parents. The mentor put his student through an unorthodox training scheme that emphasized shooting and passing exercises. He shunned weight training and tactical drills because he felt it was unnecessary friction. Geschwindner encouraged Nowitzki to play a musical instrument and read literature to make him a more complete personality.
After one year the coach advised him to decide whether to play against the best in the world or stay a local hero. If he chose the latter they would stop training immediately. But if he wanted to play against the best they had to train on a daily basis. Nowitzki pondered this lifetime decision for two days before agreeing to enter the full-time schedule.
When Dirk Nowitzki joined the DJK Würzburg team in 1994 they played in Germany's second-tier level league known as the Second Bundesliga South Division. His first trainer was Pit Stahl who played the tall teenager as an outside-scoring forward rather than an inside-scoring center. This approach used his shooting skills instead of forcing him into traditional post-up roles.
Nowitzki chose to wear jersey number 14 because Charles Barkley wore that same number during the 1992 Olympics. In the 1994, 95 season ambitious DJK finished as a disappointing sixth place out of 12 teams. The rookie often got benched and struggled with bad school grades which forced him to study rather than work on his game.
In the following 1995, 96 season Nowitzki established himself as a starter next to Finnish star forward Martti Kuisma. He soon became a regular double-digit scorer after German national basketball coach Dirk Bauermann saw him score 24 points in a single game. Bauermann stated that Nowitzki was the greatest German basketball talent of the last 10 or maybe 15 years.
During the 1996, 97 season Nowitzki averaged 19.4 points per game and led DJK again to second place after the regular season. However he could not help his team gain promotion to the higher league. The 18-year-old had grown to seven feet tall by this point.
In the 1997, 98 season Nowitzki finished his Abitur exams but had to do compulsory military service in the Bundeswehr from the 1st of September 1997 until the 30th of June 1998. The 18-year-old made progress leading DJK to a 36-4-point total ending as the leading scorer with 28.2 points per game. In the promotion playoffs DJK finally broke its hex finishing first place with 14-2 points and earning promotion to the next higher league.
Dirk Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks on the 29th of March 1998. He passed up many college offers and went directly into the NBA as a prep-to-pro player. The Bucks immediately traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in a multi-team deal where future star point guard Steve Nash also came to Dallas.
Nowitzki became only the fourth German player in NBA history following pivots Uwe Blab and Christian Welp plus All-Star swingman Detlef Schrempf. He could not continue wearing number 14 because Robert Pack already wore it so he swapped the digits and wore number 41 instead. In Dallas Nowitzki joined a franchise which had last made the playoffs in 1990.
Shooting guard Michael Finley captained the squad supported by center Shawn Bradley who was once a number two draft pick. Team scoring leader Cedric Ceballos was an ex-Laker forward. The start of the season was delayed by the 1998, 99 NBA lockout putting the entire season in jeopardy.
In limbo Nowitzki returned to DJK Würzburg and played thirteen games before both sides worked out a late compromise deal resulting in a shortened schedule of only 50 games. When the season finally started Nowitzki struggled playing as a power forward for coach Don Nelson. The 20-year-old felt overpowered by more athletic NBA forwards and was intimidated by expectations as a number nine pick.
On the 4th of January 2000 team owner Ross Perot Jr. sold the Mavericks to Internet billionaire Mark Cuban for $280 million. Cuban quickly invested into the franchise attending every game at the sidelines and buying the team a $46 million Boeing 757 to travel in. He increased franchise revenues to over $100 million while Nowitzki lauded Cuban stating that he created the perfect environment.
As a result of Nelson's tutelage Cuban's improvements and his own progress Nowitzki significantly improved in his second season. He averaged 17.5 points 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 35.8 minutes. He was voted runner-up in the NBA Most Improved Player Award behind Jalen Rose and made it into the All-Star Sophomore squad.
In the 2000, 01 season Nowitzki further improved his averages recording 21.8 points 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. As a sign of growing importance he joined team captain Finley as only one of two Mavericks to play and start in all 82 games. He had 10 games where he scored at least 30 points.
During the 2006, 07 season Nowitzki shot a career-best 50.2% from the field recording averages of 24.6 points 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He led the Mavericks to a franchise-high 67 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. He averaged 50% from the field 40%
for three-pointers and 90% from the free-throw line becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club.
Nowitzki was touted as the overwhelming favorite for the Most Valuable Player award expected to lead Dallas to an easy win against the eighth-seed Golden State Warriors. However the Mavericks ended up losing to the Warriors in six games marking the first time a No. 8 seed had beaten the No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series in NBA history.
In the clinching Game 6 Nowitzki shot just 2-for-13 from the field for only eight points defended by Stephen Jackson. He described that loss as a low point in his career stating he could not put his stamp on it the way he wanted to. In spite of this historic playoff loss Nowitzki was named the NBA's regular-season Most Valuable Player beating his friend Nash with more than 100 votes.
Prior to the 2010, 11 season the Mavericks traded for center Tyson Chandler while Nowitzki was injured in the middle of the season. Despite missing nine games he finished the regular season with averages of 23 points 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He was selected to the All-Star
Game for the tenth time.
Dallas defeated Portland in the first round of the playoffs and swept the two-time defending champion Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. In the Conference Finals they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder and their All-NBA duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. In Game 1 Nowitzki scored 48 points setting an NBA record of 24 consecutive free throws made in a game.
In Game 4 with Dallas leading the series 2-1 Nowitzki scored 40 points to rally his team from a 99-84 fourth-quarter deficit to a 112-105 overtime victory. Dallas won the Western Conference title in Game Five. In the 2011 NBA Finals Dallas once again faced the Miami Heat which had acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh before the season began.
During a Game 1 loss in Miami Nowitzki tore a tendon in his left middle finger but MRIs were negative and he vowed that the injury would not be a factor. In Game 2 he led a Dallas rally from an 88-73 fourth-quarter deficit making a driving left-handed layup over Bosh to tie the series at one.
On the 13th of December 2018 Nowitzki set the NBA record for most seasons played with the same team reaching 21 years breaking a tie with Kobe Bryant who spent 20 seasons with the Lakers. He also became the fifth player in NBA history to play 21 seasons
tying another record.
One day later he played his final NBA game recording a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 105-94 loss to the Spurs. Charles Barkley Larry Bird Shawn Kemp Scottie Pippen and Detlef Schrempf appeared on court to give laudatory speeches during the ceremony. Nowitzki is the only player to ever play for a single NBA franchise for 21 seasons.
On the 10th of December 2012 he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award. The German Basketball Federation honored him with a jersey number 14 retirement in September 2022 ahead of EuroBasket 2022. A replica of his national team jersey now hangs from arena rafters at all future Germany men's home games.
Nowitzki founded the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation which aims at fighting poverty in Africa. He dated Sybille Gerer from his local club DJK Würzburg for 10 years before it ended in 2002. In 2010 he met and began dating Jessica Olsson sister of twin footballers Martin and Marcus Olsson.
The couple got married on the 20th of July 2012 at Nowitzki's home in Dallas. They have a
daughter born in July 2013 and two sons born in March 2015 and November 2016. Though Nowitzki has considered acquiring U.S. citizenship he remains a German national receiving his green card in 2021.
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Common questions
When and where was Dirk Nowitzki born?
Dirk Werner Nowitzki was born on the 19th of June 1978 in Würzburg, West Germany. He grew up as a very tall child who stood above his peers by a foot or more for most of his youth.
Who coached Dirk Nowitzki during his early development years?
Holger Geschwindner coached Dirk Nowitzki individually two to three times per week after spotting his talent at the DJK Würzburg club. The mentor put his student through an unorthodox training scheme that emphasized shooting and passing exercises while shunning weight training.
What year did Dirk Nowitzki enter the NBA draft and which team selected him?
Dirk Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks on the 29th of March 1998. He passed up many college offers and went directly into the NBA as a prep-to-pro player before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Which season did Dirk Nowitzki win the NBA Most Valuable Player award?
Nowitzki won the NBA's regular-season Most Valuable Player award following the 2006, 07 season despite losing to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. He beat his friend Steve Nash with more than 100 votes to receive this honor.
When did Dirk Nowitzki retire from professional basketball?
On the 13th of December 2018 Dirk Nowitzki set the NBA record for most seasons played with the same team reaching 21 years. One day later he played his final NBA game recording a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 105-94 loss to the Spurs.