MIES (Switzerland) - Dirk Nowitzki, who represented Germany for two decades and was MVP of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2002 and at FIBA EuroBasket 2005, is being inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026.
He will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony in Berlin on April 21, along with other members of the class - Sue Bird (USA), Celine Dumerc (France), Hedo Türkoğlu (Türikye), Clarisse Eulalia Machanguana Ambrosi (Mozambique), Ludwik Miętta-Mikołajewicz (Poland), Whang Zhizhi (China) and Ismenia Pauchard (Chile), who is being inducted posthumously.
The most famous player in his country's history, the native of Würzburg ensured the spotlight was on German basketball with his commitment to wear the national team jersey throughout his career.
Hearing the name Nowitzki brings back all sorts of memories for international basketball fans.
He first showed off his amazing talent at the FIBA EuroBasket 2001 in Istanbul, where his high-flying performances established him as the tournament’s most dominant scorer. Germany finished just off the podium, despite Nowitzki delivering one of the standout individual games of the competition in the Third-Place decider against Spain.
The following year at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 in Indianapolis Nowitzki once again rose above the field, leading Germany to a historic third‑place finish. His complete command of the game earned him MVP honors, a testament to the way he dominated the court, not just through scoring but through his all‑around influence.
At EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade, his leadership, his offensive consistency and elite rebounding once more propelled Germany deep into the tournament, reinforcing his status as one of Europe’s most influential players.
At the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Japan, Nowitzki shone yet again as his country reached the Quarter-Finals in the tournament, which had expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
His 23.2 points per game made him the event's second leading scorer on average, though his 209 points overall were far and away the most in the competition.
The national team highlights continued for the next couple of years.
At EuroBasket 2007 in Spain, Nowitzki made the All-Star Five after Germany finished fifth. His 24 points per game ranked first ahead of Tony Parker of France, Hidayet Türkoğlu of Türkiye, Pau Gasol of Spain, and tournament MVP Andrei Kirilenko of Russia.
At the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Nowitzki once again carried Germany on his shoulders, securing one of the three coveted qualifying spots for the Beijing Games.
That paved the way for the hoops icon to not only feature at the Olympics for the first time, but to serve as his nation's flag-bearer during the Opening Ceremony.
He next played for Germany at EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania and ended his national team career at EuroBasket 2015.
Nowitzki scaled the heights in the NBA with the only club he played for, the Dallas Mavericks. In the league, Nowitzki dazzled whenever he ran onto the court. He was the MVP in 2007 and MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals after spearheading Dallas' run to their first and still only championship.
During his incredible run with the Mavs that began in 1998 and concluded in 2019, Nowitzki four times made the All-NBA First Team, five times All-NBA Second Team and three times All-NBA Third Team. A 14-time NBA All-Star, his impact on the franchise was immortalized when the Mavericks retired his iconic No. 41 jersey.
Since 2019, Nowitzki has served as Chair of FIBA's Players’ Commission and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Name | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|---|
Category of inductee | Player (Power forward) |
Date of Birth | 19th June 1978 |
Place of Birth | Würzburg, West Germany |
Nationality | German |
Height | 2.13m, 7ft 0in |
Teams | · DJK Würzburg (1994-1998) · Dallas Mavericks (1998-2019) |
Club Highlights | NBA champion (2011) |
National Team Highlights | · FIBA Basketball World Cup Bronze Medalist (2002) · FIBA EuroBasket 2005 Silver Medalist
|
Individual Highlights | · Played in seven FIBA EuroBasket (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2015) · Played in two FIBA Basketball World Cups (2002, 2006) · Played in Olympic Games (2008) · Leading scorer of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (2008, 26.6ppg) · German Bundesliga MVP (1999) · German Bundesliga Top Scorer (1999) · FIBA World Cup MVP (2002) · 2x FIBA Basketball World Cup Top Scorer (2002, 2006) · FIBA EuroBasket MVP (2005) · FIBA EuroBasket All-Star Five (2005, 2007) · 3x FIBA EuroBasket Top Scorer (2001, 2005, 2007) · FIBA EuroBasket Dream Team (2020) · 6× Euroscar Player of the Year (2002–2006, 2011) · 2× FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year (2005, 2011) · Mister Europa Player of the Year (2005) · No. 14 retired by Germany national team · NBA Three-Point Contest champion (2006) · NBA Most Valuable Player (2007) · NBA Finals MVP (2011) · 4× All-NBA First Team (2005–2007, 2009) · 5× All-NBA Second Team (2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011) · 3× All-NBA Third Team (2001, 2004, 2012) · 14× NBA All-Star (2002–2012, 2014, 2015, 2019) · First European to hit the 30,000-point milestone in NBA · NBA 75th Anniversary Team · No. 41 retired by Dallas Mavericks · German Olympic Flag bearer (2008) · German Sports Personality of the Year (2011) · Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) |