Dirk Nowitzki – Forever #Fourtyone
Dirk Nowitzki was born in Würzburg, Germany on June 19, 1978. He began his professional career with Würzburg DJK in the Bundesliga and then impressed NBA coaches and scouts with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 steals at the 1998 Nike Hoop Summit. Consequently, Dirk became the ninth pick in the NBA draft, with an arranged trade that sent him from Milwaukee to Dallas.
Dirk Nowitzki in Hall of Fame
Dirk Nowitzki is the first German to be inducted into the Basketball “Hall of Fame”. As announced by the custodians of the Hall of Fame in Houston, Texas, the Würzburg native is one of six former professionals and coaches to receive the special honor in 2023.
Dirk Nowitzki played 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, ending his active career in 2019, and is the sixth highest point scorer in league history (31’560) and the most prolific scorer born outside the United States.
With the Mavericks, who retired his back number 41 under the hall ceiling in January 2022, “German wunderkind” Dirk Nowitzki became NBA champion and Finals Most Valuable Player in 2011. 14 times Nowitzki was voted an All-Star. A statue of Nowitzki has since been unveiled in front of the arena in Dallas.
Dirk Nowitzki is a basketball player that has graced NBA and European courts for over twenty years.
Talk topics with Dirk Nowitzki
Basketball star Dirk Nowitzki is available as a speaker, for guest appearances worldwide and global roadshows.
- One team wins. Always.
- Team performance before individual performance
- Winning and Losing: The motivation to always keep going
- TEAM: Everyone must take responsibility
- Basketball and business: What business can learn from sports
His career includes countless European and American recognition awards, and shows no sign of slowing down. In 1998 Dirk Nowitzki began his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and he has remained a loyal Mavs player ever since. During his time in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki has led the Mavericks to 11 consecutive NBA Playoffs, including the NBA finals in 2006 and the franchise’s first championship in 2011.
Dirk Nowitzki is a 14-time All-Star, 12-time member of the All-NBA teams, and the first European-born player in the NBA to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007. At the 2002 FIBA World Championships, Nowitzki led the German National Basketball Team to a bronze medal, and a silver medal in the 2005 EuroBasket, which earned him FIBA Europe Basketball Player of the Year.
Dirk Nowitzki – Forever #Fourtyone
In a ceremony on 05 January 2022, Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey with the number 41 was pulled up and he was honored in front of 20,000 enthusiastic spectators. The jersey with the 41 will never again be given by the Dallas Mavericks to another player.
In the 2007 FIBA European Championships, Germany fell short to automatically qualify for the Olympics so they entered the qualifying tournament and won a spot to in which the were accepted to the 2008 Olympics. Dirk lead the German basketball team to their first Olympics since 1992 Summer Olympics. Dirk was chosen to be the flag bearer for the German Olympic Team at Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympics. Dirk led the German team to a tenth-place finish, and averaged 17.0 points, and 7.6 rebounds for the tournament.
On December 18, 2011, Nowitzki was named the 2011 German Sports Personality of the Year, the first basketball player to receive the award. On December 10, 2012, he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award.
Dirk Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA-history, currently being ranked 6th in all-time scoring with over 31’560 regular-season points.
Dirk takes his work seriously on the court, but he is also serious about making a difference off the court. Each year he makes hundreds of appearances and signs thousands of autographs in his desire to help children in our communities. In 2013, Dirk was named German ambassador for UNICEF with a focus to fight malnutrition in the world and promote a healthy lifestyle. “UNICEF helps us realize to what extent children need our support. However, UNICEF stands for solutions,” Dirk said after being appointed their new ambassador in Germany.
In December 2007, the NBA honored him with the NBA Community Assist Award in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic work. Whether it is meeting children throughout the season for the Make-A-Wish Foundation or purchasing and delivering thousands of dollars worth of Christmas toys for children in a local hospital, Dirk loves to give back to children. He says, “Helping kids is one of the best things I get to do as a professional athlete, and it is a privilege to be a part of those events.”
Dirk Nowitzki established two Foundations. One based in Dallas focused on Children´s wellbeing in his Dallas community as well as in Afirca. The other one in his hometown in Würzburg, Germany, focused on the empowerment of children through sports. With this he offers all of us an opportunity to help give positive experiences to children around the world.
Book Dirk Nowitzki for your next event, conference or global Roadshow with The Premium Speakers Agency, the official booking agent of Dirk Nowitzki.