GER - Nowitzki raising basketball profile in Germany

BERLIN (German Basketball) - Germany star Dirk Nowitzki believes his exploits in the USA have improved the reputation of basketball in his homeland but admits the game will never usurp football as the national sporting obsession.

The 7ft forward enjoyed a fine NBA campaign this past season, after which he was named the league's MVP for his performances with the Dallas Mavericks.
 
In doing so he became the first European to receive the prestigious accolade, but he nevertheless concedes that basketball will always be marginalised in Germany.

Nowitzki told Swiss newspaper Neue Luzerner Zeitung: "My MVP title surely helped to make basketball more popular in Germany, and the same thing goes for the good results of our national team.

"But the fact remains: Germany is and always will be a football nation."

Nowitzki is in Switzerland where he attended the Swiss All-Star Basketball Camp in Zofingen this week. However, his attentions are mostly focused on the EuroBasket in September.

What's important is that we have a good EuroBasket this summer in Spain," he continued.

"Mainly I'm trying to bring myself to the physical level I had at the end of the season.

"I don't really work on mental training much anymore since I think I'm strong enough in that regard."

The 29-year-old also refused to rule out a move to the German BBL league later in his career.

"You should never say never," he added.

"Let's see what happens when I'm 36 years old and still want to play basketball but am not fit enough for the NBA."

Nowitzki has been excused from Germany's training camp in Mallorca, which gets under way on Monday, with coach Dirk Bauermann instead calling up Deutsche Bank Skyliners center Kirsten Zoellner.

FIBA