Dirk Nowitzki

Full name is Dirk Werner Nowitzki. His older sister, Silke, works for the NBA in International TV. His father, Joerg, played handball and his mother, Helen, starred for the German women's national basketball team. Served a mandatory stint in the German army from 9/1/97 to 6/30/98. Enjoys reading and playing the saxophone in his spare time.
German-born Dirk Nowitzki was an outstanding junior player who applied for early entry to the 1998 NBA Draft, where he was chosen ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. Immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he started slowly but has blossomed into a top player in the league. Has risen to the level of being named the best international player by general manager survey conducted before the 2002-03 season. The 7-0 forward who at times mans the pivot can strike fear in an opponent when he corrals a rebound and leads the break or prepares to launch a three-point bomb. Named to the 2002 All-NBA Second Team and later that summer earned MVP honors at the 2002 World Championships while paying for his native Germany in Indianapolis.


PRE-NBA:
Named Germany's Player of the Year for 1998 by Basket magazine....Led his club team to promotion into the German First Division (Bundesliga)....Prior to reporting to Mavericks training camp was the leading scorer in the league (21.4 ppg) and ranked third in rebounds (8.4)....Played eight games with the German National team in the European Championships 22-and-under tournament....Scored in double figures in seven times, including a 34-point, 15-rebound performance in Germany's final game, a 97-95 overtime win vs. Lithuania on 7/23/98....Germany finished seventh in the tournament with a 5-3 record....Captured global attention at the 1998 Nike Hoop Summit Game in San Antonio over Final Four weekend when his International Juniors team defeated the USA Juniors....Finished the game with a team-high 33 points, hitting 6-of-12 from the floor and collected 14 rebounds with three steals....In two seasons with WC. Form:NBA.com