Dirk Novitzki is Germany’s best known basketball player and an NBA star.
Born on June 19, 1978 in Wurtzburg, Franconia, into a high–level sports family, he started playing basketball at the age of 13. Just 7 years later, he was offered his first contract with an NBA team and has played with the Dallas Mavericks for several years.
During the 2006-07 season, he was the first European basketball player ever to earn the NBA’s Most Valuable Player title. Yet it was 2011 that undoubtedly brought his biggest success, as he was the first German basketball player ever to win the NBA trophy with his team. On top of this, he was awarded the NBA Finals MVP Award for the final series. In April 2014, he entered the top 10 of NBA’s all-time scoring list.
In international basketball, Nowitzki, 6’9” tall, is considered one of the most remarkable European players of all times. He was the sixth player and the first European one to pass the 30,000 points threshold, and trumped even basket-ball legend Michael Jordan in his overall points record.