Dirk Nowitzki Biography

A star player for the Dallas Mavericks, standing at 7' feet tall, Nowitzki is considered one of the NBA's most dangerous players as he is an all-purpose player in the forward position, who is able to score both on the inside and outside. While some just consider him one of the best players in the NBA today, others go as far as to say that he is one of the best players to come out of Europe since basketball began.

His basketball career seemed to stay confined to Europe though, until a team of American NBA stars played the German team in September of 1997, and he was finally noticed by several of the players from America, which included Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. Barkley even offered the tall, lanky teen any amount of money to go to America and attend his old alma mater, Aubrn University. But, Nowitzki refused, opting to stay in Germany due to his continuing military service. It wasn't until March of 1998 that Nowitzki finally gained international recognition when he scored 33 points and gained 14 rebounds in the Nike Hoop Summit in San Antonio, Texas, and led his team to victory over the US team.

When Nowitzki declared for the 1998 NBA Draft, he had already gained a promise to be drafted in the 10th selection from Rick Pitino, who was the head coach for the Boston Celtics, but, the Dallas Mavericks drafted him before the Celtics could get their hands on him. Although Nowitzki had technically been drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, there was a lot of trading and arrangements between teams for picks so he went to the Dallas Mavericks in the end, along with another young star, Steve Nash. Although the Mavericks believed, and openly stated, that Nowitzki would be the Rookie of the Year for the 1998-1999 season, it was understandable that the fans were upset when he looked lost on the court and did not win the coveted title.

So, in the off-season, he returned home, training and working on his game. This extra training proved to be just what he needed, and in the 1999-2000 season, he had an average score of 17.5 points per game. This along with his average of 6.5 rebounds and several other noted improvements on his overall game, helped to earn him the second spot for the Most Improved Player. He continued to improve on his game and in the 2000-2001 season, he was named to the All-NBA team, the first player from the Mavericks to do so. In the 2001-2002 season, he upped his average points per game to over 23, and gained an average of over 9 rebounds per game as well. In this season, he was once again selected to the All-Star NBA game, making the second team this time. He also played for the German National Team and helped them to finish third at the FIBA World Championships.

He continued to play throughout the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons with the Mavericks, despite an ankle injury that he suffered, which never quite healed all the way. During the 2003-2004 season, he finished 10th overall in the NBA for scoring, at an average of 21.8 points per game. In the 2004-2005 season, fans and critics all over felt that Nowitzki's game would suffer when his counterpart on the court, Steve Nash, left the Mavericks and headed for Phoenix. But, Nowitzki surprised everyone when his overall game improved drastically. During this season, he performed above expectations and even gained a career best when he scored 53 points during overtime in the game against the Houston Rockets.

During the 2004-2005 season, he was again named to the All-Star teams for the NBA, except this time to the first team, thus becoming the first player in the history of the All-Star team to make the first team that had never attended a US high school or college. Even throughout the 2005-2006 season, Nowitzki continues to heighten his scoring and rebounds, making improvements in every aspect of his game.

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