While playing basketball, Nowitzki attended high school at the Rontgen Gymnasium.
College/University
Career
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
40 Bay St, Toronto, ON M5J 2X2, Canada
Luis Scola of the Toronto Raptors defends as Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball during an NBA game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots against the Brooklyn Nets during the game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates after a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks goes for the layup against the Brooklyn Nets during the game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball during the game against Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a jumper against Jabari Parker of the Milwaukee Bucks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball against Johnny O'Bryant III of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a jumper against the Milwaukee Bucks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball against Johnny O'Bryant III of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a fadeaway against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks goes up and under for the layup against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks takes a shot against Brandon Rush of the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks dunks against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks takes a shot against Brandon Rush of the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2015
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks on with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Jonas Jerebko of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Tim Frazier of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots against Ian Clark of the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks over Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2018
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
D'Angelo Russell and Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis high five against Team LeBron during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis shoots the ball against Team LeBron during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
400 W Church St #200, Orlando, FL 32801, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
400 W Church St #200, Orlando, FL 32801, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic during the game at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
400 W Church St #200, Orlando, FL 32801, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic during the game at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Team Giannis reacts with Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons against Team LeBron in the second quarter during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gallery of Dirk Nowitzki
2019
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis and Dwyane Wade of Team LeBron receive commemorative All-Star jerseys after the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Larry O'Brien Trophy
2011
2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks poses for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Trophy during media day at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
ESPY Award
2011
777 Chick Hearn Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90015, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks poses after he wins the award for 'Best Male Athlete' at the 2011 ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy
2011
8008 Herb Kelleher Way, Dallas, TX 75235, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks hoists his Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy as the team is greeted by thousands of fans after winning the 2010 - 2011 NBA Championship at Love Field in Dallas, Texas.
Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award winner Dirk Nowitzki speaks onstage during the 2017 NBA Awards Live on TNT in New York City.
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award
2020
Berlin, Germany
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award winner Dirk Nowitzki poses with the trophy on the carpet after the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin, Germany.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks poses for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Trophy during media day at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
777 Chick Hearn Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90015, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks poses after he wins the award for 'Best Male Athlete' at the 2011 ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
8008 Herb Kelleher Way, Dallas, TX 75235, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks hoists his Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy as the team is greeted by thousands of fans after winning the 2010 - 2011 NBA Championship at Love Field in Dallas, Texas.
Luis Scola of the Toronto Raptors defends as Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball during an NBA game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball during the game against Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball against Johnny O'Bryant III of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks passes the ball against Johnny O'Bryant III of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks goes up and under for the layup against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks on with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Jonas Jerebko of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots over Tim Frazier of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks shoots against Ian Clark of the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks over Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1501 Dave Dixon Dr, New Orleans, LA 70113, United States
Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
D'Angelo Russell and Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis high five against Team LeBron during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis shoots the ball against Team LeBron during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Team Giannis reacts with Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons against Team LeBron in the second quarter during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
333 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
Dirk Nowitzki of Team Giannis and Dwyane Wade of Team LeBron receive commemorative All-Star jerseys after the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award winner Dirk Nowitzki poses with the trophy on the carpet after the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin, Germany.
(Follow NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki's rise to NBA champion...)
Follow NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki's rise to NBA champion under his coach and mentor, Holger Geschwindner, whose unconventional methods and reliance on physics turned him into the greatest shooting big man in NBA history.
Dirk Nowitzki is a German retired professional basketball player. He is regarded as one of the greatest foreign-born players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) history.
Background
Dirk Nowitzki was born on June 19, 1978 in Wurzburg, Germany. He is the son of Joerg and Helen Nowitzki. His father played for West Germany in team handball, while his mother was a star player on Germany's women's national basketball team. Nowitzki was raised in Wurzburg, a small city in Bavaria, where his family had a house painting business. His only sibling, older sister Silke, also became a professional basketball player.
Education
Because of his mother's activeness in the sport and the fact that his sister played the game from an early age, the young Nowitzki thought basketball was a sport for girls. As a child, he instead played soccer, tennis, and team handball.
When Nowitzki was about 13 years old, he began playing basketball himself and soon grew to love the sport. Playing pickup games at a local gym, his obvious talents were noticed by Holger Geschwindner. Gerschwindner played on the West German Olympic team in 1972. He also holds the record for the most games played on the German national team. Though he promoted the sport in Germany, he found his native country not particularly interested in basketball. Seeing the young Nowitzki play was a revelation for Geschwindner. Geschwindner began tutoring Nowitzki in the game, and the young player caught on quickly.
When Nowitzki was 16 years old, he began playing for DJK Wurzburg X-Rays, a second division team in German Bundesliga. He continued to be tutored by Gerschwindner in basketball skills. Gerschwindner was also the team's coach and developed a plan to maximize Nowitzki's skills. While playing basketball, Nowitzki attended high school at the Rontgen Gymnasium. Though he wanted to drop out, he stayed in school because Gerschwindner believed he should continue his education.
While Nowitzki played for his local club, he also gained national and international exposure by playing on German national teams. In 1996, he played on the German National Junior team as well as the German Under-22 National Team, European Junior Select Team, and World Junior Select Team. In 1997, Nowitzki impressed a group of NBA players who came to Europe to play local teams. The 19-year-old played well against them, dunking on NBA star Charles Barkley, among others. This game led to some attention from United States colleges and a few offers to play professionally from all over the world, but Nowitzki continued to play for the X-Rays and work with Gerschwindner. In 1997, Nowitzki played for 20 games for Wurzburg. One reason he stayed was that he could play any position he wanted on the X-Rays, a means of learning the game from every angle. That year, Nowitzki averaged 17.5 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Basketball was not Nowitzki's only focus. From September of 1997 to June of 1998, he fulfilled his mandatory service in the German Army. Yet he was allowed to play basketball abroad during this time as a member of the International Junior Select Team for under-19 year olds at the Nike Hoop Summit in March of 1998. This was Nowitzki's breakout game in which he scored 33 points and 14 rebounds against the American squad. His team upset the Americans by a score of 104-99. His magnificent performance captured the attention of scouts, both college and professional, though he was still not well known.
Because of his army commitment, Nowitzki was not able to play in the pre-draft camp nor attend the NBA draft a few months later. Still, he was drafted in the 1998 NBA draft with the ninth pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Nowitzki was then traded to Dallas with the number 19 pick, Pat Garrity, for Robert Traylor, the sixth pick, in a pre-arranged deal. He was unsure if he would play in the NBA right away, and thought about staying in Europe for one or more seasons or taking a college scholarship in the United States. Soon after the draft, he decided to join the Dallas Mavericks and to play in the NBA after meeting with new Dallas coach Don Nelson. One reason Nowitzki agreed to come and play in the NBA was that Nelson would allow him to leave twice during the season to play for the German national team so it could qualify for Olympic play in 2000.
When Nowitzki came to Dallas, he was still a raw talent, but very athletic, a sure shot, and had great hands. Yet he did not like physical contact while playing and was still seen as a gamble for even the German national team which did not expect him to play for them for several years. Though Nelson nearly lost his job over choosing Nowitzki, he was sure of his choice as was his son and assistant Donn Nelson.
Nowitzki struggled his first season on in Dallas. He had a less-than-stellar rookie year in 1998-1999, which made him unsure of his decision to come to the NBA. He only averaged 8.2 points per game, primarily playing small forward. But Dallas worked with him on his footwork, defense, and shot creation, while he adjusted to the warp speed of the NBA game. Nowitzki did much better in the 1999-2000 season, showing his ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor, solid passing, and becoming more physical. His numbers greatly improved, averaging 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
By 2000, Nowitzki was emerging as a star in the league. In the 2000-2001 season, Nowitzki's NBA game greatly improved, but he still had much to work on including how to post up and box out, and his rebounding positioning. The Mavericks were also on a learning curve as they had been a dismal team for much of the 1990s and did not win a playoff game in that decade. During this season, the team was fighting to win its division while Nowitzki became the best scorer on the Mavericks and one of the top 20 scorers in the league. He averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game that season, as Dallas had its first winning record in eleven seasons. The Mavericks made the playoffs and Nowitzki showed his toughness by having a tooth knocked out in a game against the San Antonio Spurs and going right back into the game.
Nowitzki continued to get better over the next few seasons. He developed a reputation as an outstanding scorer and rebounder. The Mavericks also continued to make the playoffs. He made his first All-Star team in the 2001-2002 season, and was selected as an all star for several consecutive seasons. At the end of the 2001-2002 season, Nowitzki suffered a badly sprained ankle near the end of the regular season, which was hurt slightly again during the playoffs when Dallas played Minnesota in the first round. Despite the lingering injury, Nowitzki scored 39 points in the last game of the series, the most of any Maverick. Dallas ultimately lost in the semifinals to the Sacramento Kings.
Though Nowitzki was an NBA star, he had returned each summer to Germany to work with Geschwindner since he joined the Mavericks. His German coach believed in unique drills. During the 2002 off-season, for example, Gerschwindner helped Nowitzki with his defense by arranging for him to learn to fence with a champion fencer from Germany, since fencers learn defense before offense. Such work paid off as Nowitzki's defense improved the next season in Dallas.
Nowitzki became one of the Mavericks' leaders on the floor during the 2002-2003 season. Dallas won 60 games during the regular season, a record for the team. In 2003, Dallas almost made it to the NBA finals, but they lost in six games in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs.
In 2004, Nowitzki's leadership role, still somewhat reluctantly embraced, was expanded and cemented when his best friend on the Mavericks, Canadian point guard Steve Nash, left the team. The loss of Nash did not deter Nowitzki from achieving his goal of winning an NBA championship. Nowitzki raised his game even further, using his improved ball-handling skills and other improved aspects of his offensive game which he worked on the 2004 off-season. He also took more responsibility for the team overall and meshed all the new players as best he could.
For part of 2004 season, Nowitzki lead the league in scoring and was discussed as a possible NBA most valuable player. He finished the year with a career best 26.1 points per game average. However, Nowitzki had a poor post-season, only averaging 23.7 points per game, and the Mavericks were eliminated in the semifinals by the Suns, a loss for which he took the blame.
Nowitzki bested his scoring numbers in the 2005-2006 season with 26.6 points per game average. During the 2005 off-season in Germany, he worked on playing against smaller defenders, players he struggled against. The result was much improvement offensively with the highest field goal percentage of his career at 48 percent. Nowitzki's defense, which remained somewhat soft, had improved, but he was now seen as an elite player with a complete game.
Led by Nowitzki, Dallas had their best playoffs ever in 2006. He helped knock out San Antonio in seven games in the second round of the playoffs.
The Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat by eliminating the Phoenix Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals. Dallas, however, lost in the finals. Nowitzki played decently in the championship round, but only had a 39 percent field goal percentage and averaged 22.8 points per game, which was not enough to overcome the Heat.
In 2005-2006 he led Dallas to the team's first berth in the NBA finals (a six-game loss to the Miami Heat), and in 2006-2007 he averaged 24.6 points per game while guiding the team to the best record in the league. During the first round of the 2007 playoffs, however, the Mavericks became the first top seed to be upset in a best-of-seven opening-round series, and the team's subsequent postseason disappointments - combined with its play in the 2006 finals, in which the team squandered a 2-0 series lead - led some to question Nowitzki's ability to win clutch games. This reputation was undone in 2010-2011 during a remarkable postseason run in which Nowitzki sparked a number of fourth-quarter comebacks and propelled the Mavericks to an NBA finals rematch against the Heat. There he averaged 26 points per game (10.3 in the fourth quarter) to lead the Mavericks to their first NBA title and earn finals MVP honours.
Dirk continued his strong play in the five years after the Mavericks championship, but the aging team fell off its long-torrid winning pace and routinely posted its worst records since Nowitzki's early seasons with the franchise, failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs in that time. In November 2014, Nowitzki scored his 26,947th career NBA point to surpass Hakeem Olajuwon as the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history. While his on-court performance generally declined over the following seasons, in March 2017 Nowitzki became just the seventh player in league history to score 30,000 career points. The Mavericks' play continued to decline during the second half of the decade. In 2017-2018 the team posted a 24-58 record, and Nowitzki scored just 12 points per game, his lowest scoring average since his rookie season. His role with Dallas was minimized in 2018-2019, resulting in Nowitzki averaging just 15 minutes of playing time and 7 points per game, and he retired at the end of the season. He finished his NBA career with 31,560 points scored, which was the sixth highest total in league history at the time.
(Follow NBA Superstar Dirk Nowitzki's rise to NBA champion...)
2014
Views
Nowitzki founded the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, a charity which aims at fighting poverty in Africa. He also visits Children's Medical Center every year around Christmas and gives kids gifts.
Quotations:
"I never looked at basketball as work. I always enjoyed it as my hobby. I loved it. Once that love is gone, and I'm tired of working out every day and doing all the stuff to get me ready for games, and I'm tired of lifting and conditioning and doing all that other stuff around it, and I'd rather stay in bed, then it's time to go."
"My dad never really played basketball, but now he's my biggest critic. I come home, and he says: Why didn't you shoot there? Why didn't you drive?"
"I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could bust out a couple of songs, but I'm not very good at it."
"I may not be the most physically tough player, but I think mentally I'm right up there."
"Money isn't something I play for. I want to compete. I want to win."
"I'm not big on material things, but I like my cars. They are German-made and custom-made."
"The only advice I would give young guys is to keep your ears and eyes open. Never see yourself as a finished product."
Personality
Dirk Nowitzki is a confident but low-key character, unspoiled by money and fame.
Physical Characteristics:
Dirk Nowitzki is 7'0" (213 cm) tall and weighs 237 lbs (108 kg).
Quotes from others about the person
Michael Finley: "Every championship team has a guy who dominates throughout the playoffs. For us, Dirk is that guy."
Peter May: "Dirk has been a great player, and the only knock on him was, could he step up in the big moments? And he's doing it, not just with his playing, but also with his emotion."
Interests
Lucky Luke comics, reading, playing the saxophone
Athletes
Scottie Pippen
Music & Bands
The Hoff
Connections
For 10 years Nowitzki dated Sybille Gerer, a female basketball player from his local club DJK Würzburg. In 2010, he began dating Jessica Olsson, sister of twin Swedish footballers Martin Olsson and Marcus Olsson. They got married on July 20, 2012. The couple has a daughter Malaika, and two sons - Max and Morris.