Soft. Pushovers in the paint. You can’t win with them as your star player. This was the groupthink regarding Europeans that NBA franchises swore by even as the league became a massive global phenomenon following the 1992 Olympics. Superstar Hall-of-Famers like Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan showed the world an echelon of talent to strive towards. Six years later, the Dallas Mavericks took that Euro gamble and drafted power forward Dirk Nowitzki from a second-rate league in Germany. What made Dirk Nowitzki a basketball Hall-of-Famer?
Dirk Worked
Dirk started playing basketball professionally at 16 – just two years after those Barcelona Games. Like many international players, his growing height lured him away from other sports and into the mosh pit that is NBA hopefuls. Around this time, he first came across his long-time trainer, Holger Geschwindner, and together they worked to transform his body with basketball-specific drills.
In the 90s, most big men were developed by adding muscle to handle the girth of players like Anthony Mason, Karl Malone, and Shawn Kemp. Instead, Dirk worked on outside shooting and vision drills. And boy, did he work. Twice a day minimum, seven days a week. Big men were not known for their ability to stretch the floor at the time. Shooters had no protection against physical defenses that would get in your shirt to prevent comfortable shots. Geschwindner’s unorthodox drills developed counterattacks each time defenses presented new challenges, and Nowitzki’s talents made him a bit of a hot prospect entering the 1998 NBA Draft.
Dirk Nowitzki Highs
Dirk Nowitzki was drafted 9th overall by the Dallas Mavericks. Back then, Dallas held just over a million people- about ten times the population of Dirk’s hometown. Talk about a fish out of water! Further, the Mavericks were one of the worst franchises in the league. The losing continued with Dirk until a few changes took place. One was the arrival of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who purchased the team from Ross Perot in 2000. The second was the arrival of Hall-of-Fame coach Don Nelson and his introduction of the run-and-gun offense. This offense unlocked Nowitzki’s shooting and passing abilities to another level, allowing him to score before defenses were set. This led to All-Star appearances, winning seasons, and, after a coaching change to focus on defense, an NBA Finals appearance in 2006.
Dirk Nowitzki overcame a Los Angeles Lakers dynasty and a burgeoning San Antonio Spurs dynasty to reach the big stage (Nowitzki’s brilliance against the defending champion Spurs in those playoffs was extraordinary). He was the first European to lead an NBA team to this level. The Mavericks were the Finals favorite with home-court advantage.
Dirk Nowitzki Lows
Watching the Mavericks collapse against the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals was traumatic. They were up 2-0, heading to Miami for three games, and held a massive lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3. To this day, no team has returned from 3-0 to win an NBA playoff series. Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade led his team to four straight wins and the Heat’s first championship (Please check out the Basketball Hall-of-Fame Spotlight- Dwyane Wade).
Most teams would not have found the resolve to bounce back, but Nowitzki was a diligent worker. The following season, he turned in an MVP season and the best record in the NBA. What did the Mavericks do with that in the playoffs? Lose to the eighth seed Golden State Warriors (coached by Nowitzki’s former coach Don Nelson). Nowitzki’s defense was exploited, and the Mavericks were eliminated in six games. It was one of the biggest upsets in NBA history and resulted in the humiliation of Dirk Nowitzki accepting the MVP trophy in street clothes, an NBA first. Everybody agreed that Dirk Nowitzki was an extremely talented superstar. Most people also agreed that his style of play and leadership were not conducive to winning it all.
The NBA Championship
Eventually, the persistence of Mark Cuban, the right chemistry, and the talent of Dirk Nowitzki struck gold. 2007 saw the birth of a Celtics superteam to counter the Detroit Piston domination of the mid-2000s Eastern Conference. Superstar and future Hall-of-Famer LeBron James countered by forming his own dynasty on South Beach with Wade and Hall-of-Famer Chris Bosh in tow. Dirk Nowitzki admits that had Wade and James called him during free agency in 2010, he would have joined Miami instead of Bosh.
Nowitzki trusted Cuban and re-signed with Dallas. The Mavericks retooled with players like Tyson Chandler. The Mavericks were again tested against the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. They were prepared to meet the challenge this time and won in six games. Dirk Nowitzki was the Finals MVP, and all his hard work paid off. It was the first championship for the city of Dallas since the (very long) distant memory of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty (I’m sure there is black-and-white footage of that football program somewhere).
Most people forget that the Mavericks swept the Heat in that 2010-2011 season and were a matchup nightmare due to Nowitzki’s play and the Maverick’s depth. If LeBron beats Dirk in 2011, chances are he has more than four championships. A lot more.
Most people also forget that the Mavericks swept away Hall-of-Famers Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, and that second Lakers dynasty in the second round. It was the last time the Lakers were relevant before the arrival of LeBron James in 2018.
Dirk Nowitzki’s Influence
The hard work with basketball-specific drills is mimicked by up-and-coming superstars like French phenom Victor Wembanyama. Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged fade-away jump shot is copied by future Hall-of-Famers like Kevin Durant and James Harden. His willingness to stick by his team for 21 years and ride out the highs and lows of rebuilding is mimicked by superstars like Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo (err… let’s add a front office trust disclaimer).
And Dirk wasn’t soft. He wasn’t a pushover in the paint. Defining his game from the free throw line extended to the three-point line made Dirk Nowitzki unique for a seven-foot player. Current NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is taking Nowitzki’s blueprint and starting his own dynasty in Denver.
Dirk Nowitzki’s influence, work ethic, and leadership make him worthy of first-ballot Hall-of-Fame recognition.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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