Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association.
93 Facts About Dirk Nowitzki
2.
In 2023, it was announced that Nowitzki would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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An alumnus of the DJK Wurzburg basketball club, Dirk Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played his entire 21-year National Basketball Association career.
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Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 NBA playoff appearances, including the franchise's first Finals appearance in 2006 and its only NBA championship in 2011.
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Dirk Nowitzki is the only player ever to play for a single NBA franchise for 21 seasons.
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Dirk Nowitzki is a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member, the first European player to start in an All-Star Game, and the first European player to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
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Dirk Nowitzki is the first Maverick voted onto an All-NBA Team and holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records.
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In international play, Dirk Nowitzki led the Germany national team to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and silver in EuroBasket 2005, and was the leading scorer and MVP in both tournaments.
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Dirk Nowitzki is the first German men's player to have his number retired, receiving this honor in September 2022.
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Dirk Nowitzki was a very tall child; most of the time he stood above his peers by a foot or more.
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Dirk Nowitzki managed to become a ranked junior tennis player in the German youth circuit, but soon grew tired of being called a "freak" for his height and eventually turned to basketball.
12.
Geschwindner let him train seven days a week with DJK Wurzburg players and future German internationals Robert Garrett, Marvin Willoughby, and Demond Greene, and in the summer of 1994, then 16-year-old Dirk Nowitzki made the DJK squad.
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When Dirk Nowitzki joined the team, DJK played in Germany's second-tier level league, the Second Bundesliga, South Division.
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Dirk Nowitzki impressed with a combination of quickness, ball handling, and shooting range, and from that moment a multitude of European and NBA clubs wanted to recruit him.
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Dirk Nowitzki became only the fourth German player in NBA history, following pivots Uwe Blab and Christian Welp and All-Star swingman Detlef Schrempf, who was a 35-year-old veteran of the Seattle SuperSonics when his young compatriot arrived.
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Dirk Nowitzki finished his DJK career as the only Wurzburg player to have ever made the NBA.
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In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki joined a franchise which had last made the playoffs in 1990.
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In limbo, Dirk Nowitzki returned to DJK Wurzburg and played thirteen games before both sides worked out a late compromise deal that resulted in a shortened NBA schedule of only 50 games.
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Dirk Nowitzki only averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes of playing time.
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Dirk Nowitzki averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 35.8 minutes.
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Dirk Nowitzki was voted runner-up in the NBA Most Improved Player Award behind Jalen Rose, and made it into the NBA All-Star Sophomore squad.
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The 7-foot-0-inch Dirk Nowitzki was chosen for the Three-Point Contest, becoming the tallest player ever to participate.
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Dirk Nowitzki became the first Maverick ever to be voted into the All-NBA squads, making the Third Team.
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The Mavericks lost the first three games of the series, and Dirk Nowitzki fell ill with the flu and later lost a tooth after a collision with Spurs guard Terry Porter.
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Dirk Nowitzki continued to improve, averaging 23.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
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Dirk Nowitzki was voted into the All-NBA Second Team and into his first All-Star Game.
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The Mavericks won their first fourteen games, and Finley, Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were voted "Western Conference Players of the Month" in November 2002.
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In that season, Dirk Nowitzki lifted his averages again, now scoring 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
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In Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki went up for a rebound and Spurs guard Manu Ginobili collided with his knee, forcing him out of the series.
30.
Dirk Nowitzki's averages fell for the first time in his career, dropping to 21.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, but he still led the Mavericks in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks.
31.
On December 2,2004, Dirk Nowitzki scored 53 points in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets, a career best.
32.
Dirk Nowitzki was voted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time.
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Dirk Nowitzki placed third in the league's MVP voting, behind Nash and Shaquille O'Neal.
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In Game 6, which the Mavericks lost in overtime, Dirk Nowitzki was not at his best: he scored 28 points, but sank only 9 of his 25 field goal attempts and missed all five of his shots in overtime.
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Dirk Nowitzki averaged 26.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists during the season.
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Dirk Nowitzki improved his shooting percentage, setting personal season records in field goals, three-point shots and free throws.
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Dirk Nowitzki was again elected to the first team All-NBA squad.
38.
Dirk Nowitzki averaged 27.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in the playoffs.
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Dirk Nowitzki scored 50 points to lead the Mavericks to a victory in the crucial Game 5 with the series tied at 2; the Mavericks won the series in six games and faced the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals.
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Dirk Nowitzki was touted as the overwhelming favorite for the Most Valuable Player award and was expected to lead the Mavericks to an easy win against the eighth-seed Golden State Warriors, despite the Warriors having won all three regular-season meetings against Dallas.
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Dirk Nowitzki became the first European player in NBA history to receive the honor.
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Dirk Nowitzki averaged 23.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and a career-high 3.5 assists for the season.
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The few positive highlights that season for Dirk Nowitzki were his first career triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 6,2008, with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists, and on March 8,2008, when he surpassed Rolando Blackman with his 16,644th point to become the Mavericks' all-time career points leader.
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Dirk Nowitzki was fourth in the league in scoring, and garnered his fourth All-NBA First Team selection.
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Dirk Nowitzki made the 2009 All-Star game, his eighth appearance.
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Dirk Nowitzki was selected to the 2010 All-Star Game, his ninth appearance.
47.
Dirk Nowitzki was injured in the middle of the season, but finished the regular season with averages of 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
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In Game 1, Dirk Nowitzki scored 48 points and set an NBA record of 24 consecutive free throws made in a game as well as a record for most free throws in a game without a miss.
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Dallas went on to win the next two games, with Dirk Nowitzki scoring 10 fourth-quarter points in the series-clinching game in Miami.
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Dirk Nowitzki made his 11th straight All-Star game appearance in Orlando.
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Dirk Nowitzki led his team in scoring 45 times during the season.
52.
Dirk Nowitzki underwent knee surgery in October 2012 and missed the first 27 games of the season.
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Dirk Nowitzki returned on December 23,2012, in a game against San Antonio.
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Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks back to the playoffs where they faced their in-state rival San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
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Dirk Nowitzki was reunited with former championship teammate Tyson Chandler, who was traded to Dallas after a three-year stint with New York.
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Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper from just inside the three-point line early in the fourth quarter to pass Olajuwon at No 9, and he finished the night at 26,953 career points.
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Six days later, Dirk Nowitzki became the fourth player in NBA history to eclipse 27,000 career points with the same franchise, joining Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.
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Dirk Nowitzki grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and passed former teammate Shawn Marion for 15th on the all-time career rebounding list.
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In Game 4 of the Mavericks' first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dirk Nowitzki passed Elgin Baylor for 15th on the NBA's career playoff scoring list.
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Dirk Nowitzki missed several games early in the season with Achilles tendon problems.
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Dirk Nowitzki became the fifth player in NBA history to play 21 seasons, tying an NBA record.
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Dirk Nowitzki was named to his 14th All-Star game as a special team roster addition.
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On March 18,2019, Dirk Nowitzki became the sixth-highest scoring player of all time, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's 31,419 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Dirk Nowitzki began playing for the German national basketball team in 1997.
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However, with averages of 28.7 points and 9.1 rebounds, Dirk Nowitzki led the tournament in both statistics, and was voted to the All-Star team.
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Dirk Nowitzki earned his first medal when he led Germany to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
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Dirk Nowitzki scored 22.5 points per game, but in general seemed to lack focus and dominance due to his injury.
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When he was subbed out towards the end of the final, Dirk Nowitzki received a standing ovation from the crowd, which he later recalled as "one of the best moments of [his] career".
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Dirk Nowitzki was the leading scorer with 24.0 points per game.
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Dirk Nowitzki led Germany into a decisive match against Puerto Rico for the last remaining slot.
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Dirk Nowitzki was chosen to be the flag bearer for the German Olympic Team at the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympics.
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Dirk Nowitzki led the German team to a tenth-place finish, and averaged 17.0 points and 8.4 rebounds for the tournament.
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In summer 2011, Dirk Nowitzki played with Germany in the EuroBasket 2011, where the team reached ninth place.
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In January 2016, Dirk Nowitzki officially announced his retirement from Germany's national team.
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Dirk Nowitzki was named the Euroscar European Basketball Player of the Year by the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport for five years running from 2002 to 2006 and again in 2011.
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Dirk Nowitzki was named the Mister Europa European Player of the Year by the Italian sports magazine Superbasket in 2005, and the FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year twice in 2005 and 2011.
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Dirk Nowitzki was a versatile frontcourt player who mostly played the power forward, but played center and small forward in his career.
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Dirk Nowitzki's shooting accuracy, combined with his long seven-foot frame and unique shooting mechanics, made his jump shots difficult to contest.
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Additionally, Dirk Nowitzki could drive to the basket from the perimeter like few men his size were able to do.
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Later on in his career, Dirk Nowitzki developed an unorthodox post-up game, often backing down his opponents from the free-throw line or near the middle of the key, opening up the floor for multiple passing angles should a double team come his way.
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Dirk Nowitzki was the sixth player in NBA history, and the first European, to hit the 30,000-point milestone.
82.
Apart from being the Mavericks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, field goals, field goal attempts, 3-pointers, 3-point attempts, blocks, free throws, and free-throw attempts, Dirk Nowitzki made the NBA All-Star games fourteen times and the All-NBA Teams twelve times.
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Dirk Nowitzki was the leading scorer and MVP of the 2002 FIBA World Championship, and EuroBasket 2005 tournaments.
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Dirk Nowitzki is the only player to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,200 steals, 1,200 blocks and 1,500 three-point field goals.
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Dirk Nowitzki founded the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, a charity which aims at fighting poverty in Africa.
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Dirk Nowitzki dated Sybille Gerer, a female basketball player from his local club DJK Wurzburg.
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In 2010, Dirk Nowitzki met and began dating Jessica Olsson, sister of twin Swedish footballers Martin Olsson and Marcus Olsson.
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Dirk Nowitzki acknowledged close ties to his mentor Holger Geschwindner, whom he called his best friend.
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Dirk Nowitzki is good friends with his ex-teammate Steve Nash.
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Dirk Nowitzki made life easier for me and I for him.
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Dirk Nowitzki is a keen association football fan and an avid supporter of Arsenal FC.
92.
Thomas Pletzinger published in 2019 the 502-page biography The Great Dirk Nowitzki, which was regarded as one of the best sports-biographies to have ever been published in German.
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In December 2019, Dirk Nowitzki received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in recognition of his social commitment.