He is the icon of German basketball and one of the best players in NBA history: In the new issue of Sports Illustrated, Dirk Nowitzki talks about, among other things, the European Championship, the NBA, his career and his new life after retiring from active sport – and he reveals how he is planning his future. “At a home European Championship you have to let yourself be carried away by the euphoria, unfortunately we didn’t manage that in 2015,” said Nowitzki before the tournament.
In 2011 Dirk Nowitzki crowned his own career with the NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks. “Some coaches told me that I was rather too relaxed and that I had to be more serious,” says the now 44-year-old about his active time. “I just liked having fun on the bus or in the changing room, I wanted to approach everything as relaxed as possible. If you’ve been there for ten years or more, then you don’t see anything new in training. Or the video sessions – it’s always the same. It’s okay It can be that my attention drifted a bit and the coaches had to admonish me. But when the time came, I was able to switch and be fully there.”
Dirk Nowitzki: “Something has to come for the second half of life”
About himself he says: “I think I’m a rather shy, reserved guy. Normally I feel more comfortable when I know the people around me, my environment is familiar to me. Then I can get out a bit go out with me. There’s always a lot of hype around me, I don’t need that. Of course it’s nice to be in the limelight, but I also like to hide away for a month or two, I have no problem with that. A new picture every day on Instagram to post or say something in a video: That’s not me.”
A large part of Nowitzki’s success was due to his mentor Holger Geschwindner, who trained the Würzburg native for years: “Holger once said to me years ago that he would like me to repeat what he did for me. If I did that It would be great if I had such a relationship with a player that I could say: I’m totally there, I’m up for it and want to enjoy our young kids. It’s going to be a while before I take on another big project like that. But what I’ve learned over the past 20 years – just about the right throwing motion – I could pass on later when the time is right is.”
In 2019, Nowitzki ended his career after 20 years with the Mavericks. “It still twitches a bit in the playoff games. These games at the highest level, this adrenaline rush, there was always a tingling sensation that will probably never go away completely“, says Nowitzki. “Other than that, I don’t miss it too much. The last two years of my career were difficult, the foot problems took some of the fun out of me.” And he says about his future: “Something has to come for the second half of life. Otherwise it would get boring at some point.”
The new Sports Illustrated 04/2022 issue is in stores now or at shop.sportsillustrated.de available.
Also in the new issue: photo shoot and interview with Germany’s national basketball captain and NBA star Dennis Schröder. In addition: In the footsteps of Borussia Dortmund’s new signing Karim Adeyemia visit to Germany’s most popularRace track architect Hermann Tilkea portrait above Quarterback-Star Joe Burrowand a look back at the beginnings of the career Tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams. Leipzig’s newcomer David Raum in an interview about mental toughness, columns by Andrea Petkovic and Patrick Esumea special on supplements and the best products for trail runners.
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