Dirk Nowitzki

Lore & Background

An alumnus of the DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki led the franchise to 15 NBA playoff appearances (2001–2012; 2014–2016), including the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and its only NBA championship in 2011. Known for his scoring ability, versatility, accurate outside shooting, and trademark one-legged fadeaway jump shot, Nowitzki won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007 and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2011.

Nowitzki is the only player to ever play for a single NBA franchise for 21 seasons. He 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. Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history. The first Maverick to be voted onto an All-NBA Team, he holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records.

On December 10, 2012, he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award. Following his retirement, Nowitzki stood sixth on the NBA all-time scoring list. In international play, Nowitzki led the Germany national team to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a silver medal in EuroBasket 2005; he was the leading scorer and MVP in both tournaments. He is also the first German men's player to have his number retired, receiving this honor in September 2022.

In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Nowitzki was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2026.

Reader's Guide

Born in Würzburg, Germany, Dirk Werner Nowitzki comes from an athletic family: his mother Helga was a professional basketball player and his father Jörg-Werner was a handball player who represented Germany at the highest international level. Helga was a member of the West Germany national team that participated at the 1966 EuroBasket Women. His older sister Silke Nowitzki, a local champion in track and field, also became a basketball player and now works for the NBA in International TV.

Nowitzki was a very tall child; most of the time he stood above his peers by a foot or more. He initially played handball and tennis. He 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. Watching the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball 'Dream Team' also caused Nowitzki to gravitate towards basketball.

After joining the local DJK Würzburg, the 15-year-old attracted the attention of former German international basketball player Holger Geschwindner, who spotted his talent immediately and offered to coach him individually two to three times per week. After getting both the approval of Nowitzki and his parents, Geschwindner put his student through an unorthodox training scheme: he emphasized shooting and passing exercises, and shunned weight training and tactical drills, because he felt it was 'unnecessary friction'.

Furthermore, Geschwindner encouraged Nowitzki to play a musical instrument and read literature to make him a more complete personality. After a year, the coach was so impressed with Nowitzki's progress that he advised him, 'You must now decide whether you want to play against the best in the world or just stay a local hero in Germany. If you choose the latter, we will stop training immediately, because nobody can prevent that anymore. But if you want to play against the best, we have to train on a daily basis.'

After pondering this lifetime decision for two days, Nowitzki agreed to enter the full-time training schedule, choosing the path to his eventual international career. Geschwindner let him train seven days a week with DJK Würzburg players and future German internationals Robert Garrett, Marvin Willoughby, and Demond Greene, and in the summer of 1994, then 16-year-old Nowitzki made the DJK squad.

Did You Know?

• Jason Terry had tattooed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy on his right bicep before the season began.
• The 2011 Finals was the first time since 1986 that a Finals game (Game 1) was played in May.

The Underdog Triumph Over Superteams

Entering the series, Miami was the heavy favorite with their new-formed superteam of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heat took Game 1 and led the series 2-1 before Dallas won the next three games to claim their first championship in franchise history. This victory is acclaimed as one of the greatest Finals performances ever because Nowitzki overcame a heavily favored opponent despite his previous turbulent playoff history and leading an aging squad without other star players.

Nowitzki's Historic MVP Performance

Nowitzki was named Finals MVP, becoming the second European to win the award after Tony Parker in 2007 and the first German player to do so. His performance included playing through a torn finger tendon with a splint in Game 1 and hitting a driving layup with his injured left hand in Game 2. Even while dealing with the flu before Game 4, he remained a pivotal force, making crucial shots that defined the series outcome.

Defining Moments of the Series

Game 2 featured a 15-point comeback by Dallas, the biggest since the Celtics' 24-point comeback in 2008. Nowitzki hit a three with 26.7 seconds left and made a layup with 3.6 seconds remaining to win the game after Wade's buzzer-beater attempt missed. In Game 3, Nowitzki missed a well-defended fadeaway jumper at the buzzer that could have forced overtime. Game 4 saw 12 lead changes and 15 ties, with Nowitzki hitting a driving layup with 14.4 seconds left to extend the lead.

A Unique Chapter in NBA History

This was the first Finals since 1998 not to feature Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, or Tim Duncan. It marked the first time an opening game was played in May since 1986 and only the second time since 1998 that the Eastern Conference lost with home-court advantage. The series also coincided with three major championships in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex within eight months, including the Super Bowl XLV and 2010 World Series nearby.