For 20 years, Dirk Nowitzki plays in the NBA. Only a few of his countrymen know how much of professional Basketball, the Dallas Mavericks, is revered in the United States – and how the Basketball there and changed shaped.
Celebrated farewell: Dirk Nowitzki plays for the last Time in Boston, and is celebrated by the Celtic Fans
To play, 1.1 seconds, throw-in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki rushes to the front, the Fans cheer him, he gets the Ball and throws. In addition. The amount of whispers disappointed and applauded frenetically. Nowitzki laughs and claps in turn. The away game in Boston in early January was long ago decided in favor of the Celtics. Clearly, therefore, the Fans would have allowed the opponent to the basket. But “Dirkules”, “the Germanator” or the “German Wunderkind” is not just anyone.
Exactly 20 years ago, on 5. In February 1998, denied Dirk Nowitzki his first NBA game. The shortened season in the North American professional League was started because of a game strikes with a few months delay, but the lanky 20-Year-old from Würzburg, was that enough to be considered as a candidate for the title of best League newcomer (Rookie of the Year) are traded. In his second season, he competed for the title of the player with the largest leap in development (Most Improved Player). A year later, he became a shooter for the first Time, the most successful Basket, the Dallas Mavericks, and it remained also in the following 13 years.
From “Wunderkind” to “Saint Dirk“
At the latest, in the 2005/2006 season, Nowitzki was finally a Superstar. As the first European and the third Non-American after the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon and Steve Nash from Canada, he was elected to the MVP, the best player in the League. The highlight of his career, but winning the title in 2011, was against the then Übermannschaft the Miami LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Heat with the Superstars Wade.
The goal of dreams: a Dirk Nowitzki after winning the title with the Dallas Mavericks in the year 2011
Nowitzki was chosen to be the most important player of the final series. Since then they call him in Dallas, “Saint Dirk”, the Holy Dirk. The former NBA player Brian Scalabrine and current commentator for the Boston Celtics says: “That was the best idea I have ever seen in a finals series.”
Many experts would argue that Michael Jordan has done in at least one of its six final series of Great, or LeBron James in 2016. And it is precisely between these Basketball titans Dirk Nowitzki’s cavorting in the eternal Scorer list of the NBA as one of only seven players with more than 30,000 career points.
In a class by itself
What made the 2.13 meters wide Nowitzki from the start of his career, particularly, sums up Germany’s record national player Patrick Femerling: “He is a foreign player in the body of a Large.” Nowitzki can score points thanks to its good litter everywhere, resulting in numerous Three-point shots, but also in the immediate basket close to successfully. “All this,” said Femerling, “he creates a minimalist effort: a litter of deception, one, two dribbles – this is super-efficient.”
Teammates and friends: Patrick Femerling (l.) and Dirk Nowitzki (R)
Nowitzkis trademark is a litter variation in which he jumps away from the rotation on one leg of the basket and the defender. “One-legged Fade-Away is called” the throw or “Flamingo Shot”. If others imitate him, call Reporter him once simply as “Dirk”.
Europe Basketball-Prophet
Nowitzki has his way of playing Basketball helped to shape, of the is played today in the NBA. For a long time, the Teams were looking for the big items on the next Shaquille O’Neal – a heavy Center that dominates the Zone under the basket. Or a Power Forward like Tim Duncan, his game intelligence the whole Team better.
Today, you can find the new Dirk Nowitzki: “He has changed the game for Great. He has given us the way out of the Zone,” citing the U.S.-Fanportal “Fansided” DeMarcus Cousins. The 28-year-old Center is considered to be one of the most talented Big Men in the League. Of course, he also meets regularly three, otherwise he would have this reputation. League-wide, the Three-point shot has become much more important than it was 20 years ago.
Maybe this development would have taken place even without Nowitzki, says international team-mate, Femerling: “He has let loose something”. A coincidence it would be, but if a Europeans way of this game in the USA would have brought: “The European Basketball was tactically has always been more versatile.”
Superstarr without airs and graces
In the USA, Nowitzki is loved mainly because he is much more than an exceptional Talent. He is regarded as a hard worker, disciplined, professional, and insanely “competitive”. With ambitious this is a word that falls so often in US sports would be translated, badly. Because it is less fame hungry than the unconditional willingness to accept challenges – be it to improve the own technique, from a residue out of the fight or to sink a throw, doing just that. Regularly coached Nowitzki not only his Team, but in addition in individual layers with his youth coach and Mentor Holger Geschwindner, who’ve flown in extra in the USA.
Extra layers in the summer break: Dirk Nowitzki (R) with Mentor Holger Geschwindner, (l.)
Nowitzki combines many of the properties that apply also to other NBA Stars, but none of them is as little to it as the German. “When we trained in the summer, he was often an hour longer than the others in the hall,” recalls Patrick Femerling. “But he never wanted to be something Special.”
The three years older Femerling remained always the captain of the team, even though Nowitzki was with him in the Team. “There was never a Problem,” said Femerling. “On the contrary: the fact That Dirk was our best player, has just made it so desirable to play in the national team, because he was always the success of the team.”
Fans love Nowitzki
It’s Nowitzki not to themselves, but to the Team’s success, he has proven at the money: In Dallas, he has dispensed over the years, volunteering on several million dollars in salary – the “Business Insider” comes to theoretical 194 million. First of all, the Mavericks were able to assemble around him a competitive Team, and later because the club could barely pay what would have been Nowitzki.
It’s fitting that Nowitzki in Social media, receptions, training Videos shares instead of pictures of swanky cars, gold watches, or celebrity. In 2017, he tweeted a holiday photo of yourself on a rusty Dutch Bike, with the comment: “All of the items currently pictures of your workouts! So Here I’ll toil for me on my new bike.”
Countless Videos on the Internet documenting Nowitzkis sense of Humor that makes him also not Stop Once he appears in a promotional spot with a wig of his own hair style, he excels at a charity event with Slap-Stick-to-Deposit or it can synchronize its own Comic-book parody. All of this adds up to a popularity that has no equal, and shows that Dirk Nowitzki is far more than “just” an exceptionally good basketball player.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAKareem Abdul-Jabbar (38.387 Points)
As successful as he has none: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and be hard to defend hook throw “Sky Hook” are legendary. Between 1969 and 1989, as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor born Abdul-Jabbar, who converted in 1971 to Islam played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Six times was of the 2.18-Meter-long Center masters, 19 Times he was in the roster of All-Star Games.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAKarl Malone (36.928 Points)
They called him “Mailman” – Karl Malone brought almost every one of his broadcasts. 36.928 points of the Power Forward, the absence of 18 seasons for Utah and a season for the L. A. Lakers scored. Master, he was never, for 1992 Barcelona Olympic champion with the “Dream Team”. Malone and his faithful template donor John Stockton are today as bronze statues in front of the Arena in Salt Lake City.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAKobe Bryant (33.643 Points)
Not many basketball players were on the floor as elegant as Kobe Bryant. The Point Guard for the L. A. Lakers, the son of a US basketball professionals grew up in Italy, was a loyal soul: Since 1996, he played in the NBA for the Lakers. He led his Team to five titles. With 37 years in the back of a tweak, and after 20 seasons of 2016, the deadline for the Lakers was in April-Star.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAMichael Jordan (32.292 Points)
The number 23 wore Michael “Air” Jordan on the College in North Carolina for the Chicago Bulls, he kept her and was with her a legend. Six times he won the championship. Jordan’s speciality, the “Buzzer Beater”, a crucial breakthrough, a fraction of a second before the final siren. The NBA speaks of Jordan to this day as the “best basketball player of all time”.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBALeBron James (31.990*)
Hardly an active NBA professional is similarly decorated to the Forward, who plays for 2018 for the L. A. Lakers. Four times he was already the best player in the League (MVP), three times he was named the MVP of the NBA Finals. The title, James also won three times. In 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat and 2016, with Cleveland, where he started in 2003 his NBA career. (* As of 4. February 2019)
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAWilt Chamberlain (31.419 Points)
Before Wilt Chamberlain in 1959, the NBA was a professional, he played a year for the Show troupe Harlem Globetrotters. As a professional, he introduced many of the points records. Unmatched is his brand from the game, Philadelphia against New York in the year 1962. Chamberlain scored 100 points. A total of 118 Times, he made 50 or more meters in a game. In 1999, he died at the age of 63 of heart failure.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBADirk Nowitzki (31.275 Points*)
Calm, always humble, often not very spectacular, but most impressive for sure, Dirk Nowitzki brings his throws to the target. Since 1998, Dirkules” the Dallas Mavericks is “faithful, with whom he won the 2011 championship title. As the first European he cracked the 20,000-point mark and was the sixth NBA Pro, which also broke the 30,000 barrier. (* As of 4. February 2019)
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAShaquille O’Neal (28.596 Points)
Size and power are made with two arguments, the Shaquille O’neal one of the best scorers in the NBA. The brawny to 2.16-Meter Center scored almost all the points from a short distance. Blatantly was throws its weakness. The Fouling O’neal’s in front of the litter (“Hack-a-Shaq”) made many enemies, therefore, their tactics will – O’Neal, from 1992 to 2011, went anyway, mostly as a winner from the field.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAMoses Malone (27.409 Points)
In 1974, Moses Malone was the first player who moved directly from high school into the professional League. The Center experienced its most successful period in the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, with whom he won in 1983, his only championship. Malone played for 21 years as a professional, and stand a total of nine Teams under contract. He died in 2015, with 60 years of age, apparently from the effects of a cardiovascular disease.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBAElvin Hayes (27.313)
In the 70s, Elvin Hayes was one of the best players in the NBA. An elegant Center, which was again and again with his superior jump shot from the rotation successfully. Three times The Big E led the Washington Bullets to the NBA finals and won with the capital Team in 1978, the championship. In 1303 career play Hayes brought it up to exactly 50,000 minutes of the game.
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The most successful basket-hunter of the NBADetlef Schrempf (15.761 Points)
Second-best German, behind Nowitzki, Detlef Schrempf, capped between 1985 and 2001 for Dallas, Indiana, Seattle and Portland in the NBA. He brought it to 15.761 counter, and ranks just below the Top 100 of the best NBA point collectors.