By the time he retired in 2019, Dirk Nowitzki had established himself as the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history and one of the best to play the game. Nowitzki changed a lot of things about the NBA, shooting at an elite level despite his size, and was one of the main influences for the modern big man. Dirk is remembered for his stellar championship run and his loyalty to the Mavericks, but it didn’t start so peachy for the German.
Dirk Nowitzki came into the NBA in 1998, at a time when European players were considered to be soft. He initially struggled to adapt to the league as well, averaging just over 14 points per game in his first two seasons. He would go on to figure it out and win MVP and Finals MVP while becoming one of the best scorers of all time, but in his early days, he was still in awe of the players he played against, revealing as much in an interview with Sporting News.
Interviewer: “Do you remember key moments in the NBA where you met idols and were proud of how far you’d come?”
Dirk Nowitzki: “Yeah, the first game was in Seattle against Detlef Schrempf, who I was a huge fan of. He gave me his number right away, if I needed something. But the biggest “wow” moment was the fourth game, when we played Houston. With Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley, they had two of my biggest idols on their team. Hakeem Olajuwon was there as well.”
Playing just your first few games against a team with Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, and Hakeem Olajuwon would be intimidating for any player, let alone someone still getting used to the country. Nowitzki put himself in the conversation with these players over his career, but initially, he didn’t feel like he belonged.
Dirk Nowitzki Spoke About Feeling Like He Maybe Wasn’t Cut Out For The NBA
The NBA is dominated by international stars now, but it wasn’t such an easy transition in the 1990s. Everyone now knows Nowitzki belonged in the NBA as much as anyone ever has, but at the time, the Big German was doubting himself.
“One year earlier, I played for Wurzburg in the second German division — now I was there with the best players in the world. I wasn’t sure I belonged there, if I would make it. The first year was brutal in that regard.”
Any doubts about this got worked out real soon, with Nowitzki making the All-Star team in his 4th season in the league and then rattling off 11 consecutive appearances. He will always be remembered for his many contributions to the game, there’s a statue of him now too, but his story is an inspiration to those players that are currently doubting if they can hack it at the highest level.
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