Dirk Nowitzki
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{{Infobox Pro athlete
|name = Dirk Nowitzki
|image = Dirk Nowitzki.jpg
|league = NBA
|height = 2.13 m (7 ft)
|weight = 111 kg (245 lb)
|position = Power forward, small forward, center
|birth_date = June 19, 1978
|birth_place = Würzburg, Germany
|death_date =
|death_place =
|team = Dallas Mavericks
|college = None
|nationality = German
|draft = 9th overall
|draft_team = Milwaukee Bucks
|draft_year = 1998
|career_start = 1998
|career_end = present
|awards = Five-time All-Star
Five-time All-NBA
World Championships 2002 MVP
Eurobasket 2005 MVP
}}
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (born June 19 1978 in Würzburg, Germany) is a basketball player who stars for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Standing at 2.13 m (7'0"), Nowitzki is an all-purpose forward and a consistently dangerous scorer from inside or outside, able to play any position in the frontcourt (center, power forward, or small forward). He is widely regarded as one of the premier players in the NBA today, as well as perhaps the best European player of all-time.
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Early life
A native of Würzburg, Nowitzki came from an athletic family; his father was a handball player and his mother was a member of the German women's national basketball team. He first gained international attention at the spring 1998 Hoop Summit, where he scored 33 points to lead a team of international juniors to a surprise victory over a U.S. junior team.
NBA career
Later in 1998, he was selected ninth overall in the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was immediately traded to the Mavericks with the draft rights to Pat Garrity for the draft rights to Robert "Tractor" Traylor. This is considered by many fans as one of the most lopsided trades ever.
Mavs GM Don Nelson touted Nowitzki as the sure-fire 1998-99 Rookie of the Year at the draft, a lofty expectation for a 19-year-old who was in the U.S. for the first time. Dallas fans were understandably upset, then, when Nowitzki looked lost when on the floor in mop-up minutes as a rookie. Determined to prove that he could be a force in the NBA, Nowitzki returned to Germany in the 1999 offseason, working hard on sharpening his total game. The summer of work helped immensely, as Dirk emerged as a starter and future star in 1999-2000, when he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, finishing second in voting for the league's Most Improved Player.
The following season (2000-01), he averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and became the first Maverick to be named to the All-NBA team, making the third team.
In 2001-02, he averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds and made his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. He was again selected to the All-NBA team, this time on the second team. In the following summer, he played on the German national team that finished third at the FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis and was named the tournament MVP.
Before the 2002-03 season, he was named in a survey of NBA general managers as the league's top international player. He met those expectations; he matched his 2001-02 rebound average and increased his scoring average to a career-high 25.1 points. He was again selected to the All-Star Game and the All-NBA second team.
He suffered through nagging ankle injuries in 2003-04, but still managed to finish in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring, at 21.8 ppg, and added 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He was again selected for the All-Star Game, and again made the All-NBA team, this time on the third team. Nowitzki was one of the Mavericks' few bright spots in a five-game loss to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2004 playoffs, averaging 26.6 points and 11.8 rebounds for the series.
On December 2nd, 2004, he scored a career-high 53 points against the Houston Rockets. [1]
Dirk was voted to the first team All-NBA squad for the 2004-05 season, although the Mavericks were ousted from the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by former teammate and current friend Steve Nash. That season he also earned third place in the league's MVP vote, behind Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, after posting imposing statistics (26.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.1 apg) during the regular season. By being elected to the first team All-NBA, Nowitzki became the first player who did not attend a United States high school or college to be on the All-NBA first team.
In January 3, 2006, Nowitzki broke a Mavericks franchise record, previously held by Steve Nash, by making his 50th consecutive free throw. On January 6, his record streak ended at 60.
During the 2006 All-Star Weekend in Houston, Nowitzki scored 18 points to win the 3-point Shootout contest.
Awards/Achievements
NBA highlights
- 5-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
- 5-time All-NBA:
- First Team: 2005
- Second Team: 2002, 2003
- Third Team: 2001, 2004
- NBA All-Star Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout Champion: 2006
Milestones
- Only player in NBA history to register 150 three-point field goals and 100 blocks in a season (he had 151 three-point field goals and 101 blocks in the 2000-01 season).
- Became the first Maverick in franchise history to be named to an All-NBA team (2000-01), and is the only Maverick to be named to an All-NBA First Team (2004-05).
Dallas Mavericks franchise records
- Most points in a game: 53 (OT, December 2, 2004 vs. the Houston Rockets)
- Most points in a game, regulation, 51 (March 23, 2006 vs. the Golden State Warriors)
- Most free throws made, consecutive: 60 (December 22, 2005–January 6, 2006)
Other
- Named MVP and was the leading scorer of the 2002 Basketball World Championships in Indianapolis.
- Named MVP and was the leading scorer of the 2005 European Championship, winning the silver medal with the German national team.
- Named FIBA European Basketball Player of the Year in 2005.
- Named European Basketball Player of the Year by Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in 2002, 2003, 2004.
Playing style
Image:Dirk nowitzki.jpeg Nowitzki is one of the best shooters in the NBA, capable of shooting a high percentage from both medium range and beyond the three point line, an exceptional skill for a power forward. His tall frame makes it difficult for defenders to guard and contest his jump shots. Nowitzki possesses a good fadeaway jumper, which is often impossible to block. Not surprisingly, Dirk is also a great free throw shooter. However, critics often pointed out that, for a man of his size, he should be able to score more from the low post than he does (although in recent years his inside game has improved).
Nowitzki was a great complement to former teammate Steve Nash on the pick and roll, especially rolling to open spots for his deadly shots. When Nash left for the Phoenix Suns, many felt that both would suffer a drop-off in production, but precisely the opposite has occurred: Nash was named the NBA's MVP in first year in Phoenix, while in 2004-05 Nowitzki became known as one of the premier scorers in the league. Though Nowitzki now has to create his own offense more without the benefit of Nash's pinpoint passes, he was able to adjust to the change fairly easily with a combination of driving and stopping in the lane for jump shots.
His defense, on the other hand, still lags behind his stellar offensive exploits. He does not possess great footwork on defense yet, and records fewer blocks than one might expect from a 7-footer. His defensive weakness has earned him the nickname "Irk Nowitzki," because he has no "D" (defense). Perhaps Nowitzki's deficient defense can be partially credited to his former coach Don Nelson, as he placed more emphasis on offense than on defense during his stint with the Mavericks. Nowitzki's defense is improving recently, though, under the tutelage of current Dallas coach Avery Johnson. Recently, Nowitzki notched a career high in blocks on January 6, 2006 against the Denver Nuggets with 7 blocks.
Nowitzki is frequently compared to Celtics legend Larry Bird, as both are versatile white players who could shoot the ball extremely well and score a lot of points. The comparison is both aesthetically and statistically apt, as Bird was the most similar player to Nowitzki at age 23, 24, and 25, according to Basketball-Reference.com's similarity scores. The difference between them is that Bird was a better passer and defender, while Nowitzki is a more prolific scorer.
See also
External links
- Nowitzki's official NBA player page
- Nowitzki's Career Stats
- Fantasy Basketball Stats - Dirk Nowitzki
- Dirk Nowitzki – Player profile, statistics, biography, wallpapersar:ديرك نوفيتسكي
de:Dirk Nowitzki es:Dirk Nowitzki fr:Dirk Nowitzki it:Dirk Nowitzki he:דירק נוביצקי ja:ダーク・ノビツキー no:Dirk Nowitzki tr:Dirk Nowitzki