Know Dirk Nowitzki

Why is He famous

Since entering the NBA as a seven-foot rookie in 1998, Dirk Nowitzki has been one of the most dominating forces in the league. But thanks to series of early playoff exits, and a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals, Nowitzki was labeled soft, a choke artist, a poor leader, a wannabe. Not anymore. This past season, with the odds stacked against the sharp-shooting power forward and his aging Dallas Mavericks, Nowitzki led his team past the hated Miami Heat and their trio of cocksure superstars to capture the first NBA title in franchise history. 

Dirk Nowitzki Quote

" If I would have won one early in my career, maybe I would have never put all the work and the time in that I have over the last 13 years. So this feels amazing."

Unlike most NBA superstars, Dirk Nowitzki has always opted to keep his private life just that. If he’s dated reality stars, actresses or pop singers, we sure as hell don’t know about it. Which is why the sports world reacted in collective shock when Nowitzki showed up to this year’s ESPY awards with his Swedish girlfriend, Jessica Olsson. Something tells us Nowitzki had a feeling he would sweep the awards that night (he won Best NBA Player and Best Male Athlete), so if that didn't get him laid, nothing will.

The Success

When trying to gauge whether or not Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best basketball players to ever step on the court, one needs only look at some of his accomplishments to make the call (and, no, we’re not making this up): 7-time European player of the year, 4-time NBA First Team, 10-time NBA all-star, 2007 league MVP, and 2011 Finals MVP. And if you can believe it, we’re just scratching the surface.

Dirk Nowitzki Biography

Dirk Nowitzki was born with sports in his blood. Both his parents were athletes of the highest order -- his mother a basketball player and his father a handball player -- which accounted for his height and early enrolment in handball and tennis. But as he grew older, Nowitzki could no longer ignore his height, which pointed toward basketball. After catching the attention of the former German international player Holger Geschwindner, Nowitzki underwent a vigorous training regime that focused more on shooting and passing, and less on weight training. The result? Nowitzki made the German league team DJK Wurzburg at just 16 years old. 

Dirk Nowitzki Before The NBA

A forward for DJK Wurzburg, it wasn’t long before Dirk Nowitzki established himself as one of the brightest talents in German basketball. Although his career was temporarily interrupted by a mandatory year-long stint in the German military, Nowitzki went on to have his biggest season in 1998, leading his team to the Bundesliga’s first tier while averaging 28.2 points per game. He was voted "German Basketballer of the Year" by BASKET magazine. It wasn’t long before Nowitzki began receiving international attention, especially at a Nike showcase that saw the German outplay his American counterparts.

Dirk Nowitzki Joins The Dallas Mavericks

After a string of deals on draft day, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Dirk Nowitzki from the Milwaukee Bucks, who drafted the NBA’s fourth-ever German player ninth overall. The Mavericks pinned their hopes on Nowitzki and Steve Nash, but their first few years in the league were no fairytale. But everything changed when the Mavericks were bought by brash billionaire Mark Cuban, who restructured the team and turned them into a contender. By 2000, Nowitizki had emerged as one of the league's rising stars, averaging 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, and led his team to the playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Dirk Nowitzki Loses The NBA Championship

The following year, Dirk Nowitzki signed a six-year, $90 million contract with the Mavericks, making him the second-highest-paid German athlete behind only Michael Schumacher. The next decade would see Nowitzki dominate the NBA, making 10 all-star teams, winning league MVP in 2007 and making sure Dallas was one of the NBA’s elite teams year after year. The only knock against Nowitzki was that he was never able to win a championship, a reputation that was solidified after the Mavericks fell to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, which saw them blow a 2-0 lead, and saw Nowitzki be badly outplayed by The Heat’s Dwyane Wade. Little did he know that revenge would come sooner than later.

Dirk Nowizki Finally Wins an NBA Championship

Over the years, the Dallas Mavericks were constantly retooled, in search of that elusive title, while Dirk Nowitzki remained, forced to live with the team’s past demons. In 2011, the Mavs were once again one of the Western Conference’s elite teams, with Nowitzki leading the way, but no one expected them to get past the mighty Lakers. But with Dirk Nowtizki playing lights-out basketball, the Mavs swept the Lakers, then beat the Oklahom City Thunder on their way to their second NBA Finals in history: a rematch with the Miami Heat. This time, however, the entire basketball world was rooting for the Mavs, a team of wily veterans taking on the brash, cocky trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. After six grueling games, which saw tempers flare on multiple occasions -- including an incident where the Heat’s stars mocked Nowitzki for what they perceived as him feigning illness -- Nowitzki and the Mavs came out on top, with the power forward averaging 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists throughout the playoffs, and capturing finals MVP.