The Competition: Dirk Nowitzki
01 October 2008
Dirk Nowitzki fought to put German basketball on the map. This year, he’s fighting for something else: the chance to put his team at the top of the winner’s podium.
Dirk Nowitzki is the standard by which all German players are measured. He’s revolutionized the role of the big man, with power on the inside and the magic touch from way outside. He’s reached heights in basketball that few players, German or otherwise, have attained. But for all of the success he’s had professionally, he’s yet to get his hands on international gold.
As a teen, Dirk developed his game in relative obscurity, playing for the German ball club DJK Wurzburg. Over the next few years, he became a young star on the team, winning the German Basketballer of the Year award. He had a big year in 1996 when he headlined the German Under-22 National Team, German National Junior Team, European Junior Select Team and the World Junior Team.
He later participated in several Nike tournaments and exhibitions, putting his talents on display for colleges and scouts for the first time. Dirk got the opportunity to go one-on-one with the legendary Charles Barkley, dunking over the top of the future Hall of Famer. His Nike Hoops Summit performance sent a buzz through universities and pro teams across Europe and in the U.S.
Soon, against all odds, this determined young German found himself joining the ranks of the NBA.
His rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks was a difficult one, as he battled against veteran players in a new arena. But each summer, determined as always, he continued to develop his skills in the German league. He made his senior national team debut at the FIBA European championships in 1999, leading the team in scoring and cementing his place as the team’s star. But even with his amazing game, Germany faltered and missed out on qualifying for the 2000 Summer Games.
After bringing his NBA averages up to 23.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, Dirk’s persistence began to pay off for the Germans at the 2002 World Championships. Behind his 24 points per game, he led the tournament in scoring, taking home the MVP award and the bronze medal. But for Dirk, third place wasn’t enough. And two years later, he would again miss his shot at the gold, hampered by a foot injury in Germany’s qualifying campaign for the 2004 Summer Games.
Now, four years later, Germany is fighting for another chance. They still face a tough battle in Athens this summer against Greece, Croatia, Puerto Rico and Brazil for the remaining spots in Beijing.
He’s broken franchise records, earned All-Star appearances and become the first European-born player to win the MVP award. Dirk has single-handedly blazed the trail for German and European players in the NBA. Yet, for all his professional success, he hasn’t yet led Germany to the gold.
In the prime of his career, he has the power to change that fact. The time is now.
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