Nba, Dallas collects Nowitzki’s shirt: “I never thought I’d get this far”

“Am I ready to play? No, my ankle hurts, now only tennis, and doubles, so there is less to move.” Dirk Nowitzki jokes, and it’s always the same. Simple, polite and helpful. He seems to have come out of another era and a little bit like that, but more than anything else it is he who was a white fly even in his time. Phenomenon. But with the attitude of “one of the boys. I always wanted to make my teammates feel that I was one of them, nothing more ”. But he was the best of all those who have ever worn the Dallas Mavericks jersey, which tomorrow night, on the occasion of the game with the Golden State Warriors, will collect his number 41. His forever.

memories

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“I never expected as a freshman to have this success in Texas, to play 21 years, I had only seen the NBA on TV. The first year was tough, I didn’t think I was going to get to this moment. I love the game, my profession, so the sacrifices were not such, working hard was normal. Then at the end of his career it was more difficult, especially in the summer. But I thought of Bryant, of Duncan, I motivated myself by telling myself that they were training hard at that moment, so it was up to me not to be left behind. The best memories? The title, the 30,000 points, the Olympics. These are the first flashes that come to my mind when thinking about my career “.

what he misses

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“The adrenaline, the people going crazy after my shooting. The competition, the camaraderie. Mentally I could have played again, but the physique did not allow me to continue. Thirty years of basketball leave their mark. I’ve been very busy post career, with kids, traveling. Sometimes I say something and my wife replies ‘hey, look, we’re not in an Nba locker room!’ No, I didn’t think about my career in retrospect. Then, of course, it was a fantastic journey: same city, same team. I’m proud of it. They have dedicated a street to me, the Nowitzki Way, will there be a statue now? I don’t want to reveal anything … but I brought the memorabilia: trophies, the NBA champion ring, to show to the fans… “.

long European

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“I am as proud as an elderly father to see so many international players protagonists in the NBA, for me Petrovic, Kukoc and Schrempf were the examples, happy to be now an inspiration for some of the current European talents who dominate the league. I was one of the first longs to pull from outside, now almost everyone does. At that time we played closer to the basket, over the years the rules have changed, he helped me, now all 5 players shoot from outside. And anyway Curry always amazes me for his ability to score from those distances. The long European label a bit soft that doesn’t defend much I have always had to fight it, working hard. With Wallace, Garnett, Randolph, Webber, Duncan and Abdur Rahim there have been battles ”.

unique love

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“My loyalty to the franchise, less and less frequent in today’s champions? Part of loyalty to family, I came from a small German town, I grew up in this community in Dallas. At first I was shy because I spoke bad English. It helped me to have a great relationship with Cuban, the owner, and Nelson and Carlisle as coaches, someone else would put me on weightlifting, bulked up and wouldn’t let me pull from the perimeter. What does basketball teach? Team play, respect for others, chemistry with teammates is important on and off the pitch. He taught me discipline, the sense of work ”.

moments don’t

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“My mvp year we lost in the playoffs in the first round. Family has always been my refuge. For me, feeling good off the pitch was the key to playing well. To settle in, you need to learn English well and make friends on the team. What would I change about my career? A few less defeats in the playoffs. And then I didn’t eat well, in terms of nutrition I would change a lot, compared to the fried chicken of the time. I also made mistakes off the pitch, but they helped me become the man I am ”.

him and luka

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“I love Doncic, we immediately got on well together in the year we played alongside. Happy to have been able to help him. He has such a mature game, yet he is only 22 years old. He has my phone number, if he needs a advice knows he can call me when he wants. Doncic and Porzingis between injuries and Covid protocol have played little together so far, it is difficult to assess the potential of these Mavericks. My future? The options are all on the table, but I certainly won’t train “. The applause of the reporters greets him: it may not be that of the public, but Dirk still knows how to make himself loved.