Dirk Nowitzki Biography

Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best NBA players today. He inspires a lot of children who idolizes him, and he does not turn down the people that believe in him.

He is a good friend, especially to his ex teammate and best friend at the same time, Steve Nash though they are no longer in the same team. The article title is Dirk Nowitzi Biography, so basically all the information mentioned here will be about Dirk Nowitzki. So, let us begin.

Growing Up

Dirk Werner Nowitzki was born in the 19th day of June, 1978 in Wurzburg, Germany. He comes from an athletic family, her mother was a professional basketball player and his father was a handball player who represented Germany at the highest international level.

His older sister was once a champion of a local track and field competition and eventually started to play basketball. His sister is currently working for the NBA International TV.

Before he played basketball, he played handball and tennis. His classmates would tease him and call him a “freak” because of his height, thus he decided to play basketball. While playing in the DJK Wuzburg, he caught the attention of a former German international basketball player, Holger Geschwinder. Holger Geschwinder eventually became his mentor. He would train Dirk two to three times a week, of course with the approval of his parents.

The NBA

When Dirk was sixteen years old, he joined the DJK and excelled. He was even voted as the German Basketball player of the Year by the German Basket magazine. In 1996, Dirk Nowitzki was already in the United States. He participated in the Nike “Hoop Heroes Tour” where he played against some of the NBA stars just like Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley.

On March 29, 1998 he was chosen by Nike to play in the Nike Hoop Summit. He impressed all the people that watched, and since then many European and NBA teams asked him to play for them.

His NBA career officially started when he became the ninth pick overall in the 1998 NBA Drafts. He was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks, but then he was immediately traded by the Bucks to the Dallas Mavericks. He has led the Mavericks to ten consecutive NBA Playoffs, from 2001 to 2010.

In 2003, they reached the Conference finals, and in 2006, the NBA Finals. He has been part of the All-Star team for nine years. Dirk Nowitzki is also a ten time member of the All-NBA Teams.

He is the first European-born player in the NBA history to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He is also the first Maverick to be voted into an All-NBA Team and also holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records.

Dirk Nowitzki did not only excel in the NBA, but also in his national team, the German national team. He led the German National Basketball team to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and the silver medal in EuroBasket 2005.

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