Nowitzki and SMH grad's paths crossed in Europe

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - As his professional basketball playing days came to a close in Europe, former St. Mary standout Kyle David had a chance to play with a young man who stood out among everybody else, literally and figuratively.

Playing for Wurzburg in Germany, David's star teammate was 19-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, who was playing his last season in Europe before being drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Nowitzki, who blossomed into one of the NBA's top players, is currently leading the Dallas Mavericks against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

While Nowitzki's talents were evident in Europe, few, including David, could have predicted his meteoric rise to stardom.

“Playing-wise, he had a lot of talent. He was incredibly athletic,” David said. “He was like a baby lab puppy - you knew he would grow to be something big.

“I was very surprised when he was drafted. They saw the talent, but I thought he might go to a Division I school to work on his game.”

Milwaukee selected Nowitzki with the eighth pick in the 1998 pick, and promptly traded him to Dallas along with Pat Garrity for the draft rights to former Michigan star Robert “Tractor” Traylor.

On and off the court, David said, Nowitzki was a nice, quiet guy. While they occasionally hung out together off the court, their age difference - David was 27 - led to a separate group of friends.

However, the two have still maintained a friendship.

“Every year when Dallas comes to Minneapolis, we get tickets and we get a chance to talk with him,” David said. “He is still down to Earth. Other than him being seven feet tall, he's just a normal guy.

“He has a real nice family. You just feel good knowing he succeeded.”

One of the most unusual headlines made during the current playoff season was Nowitzki's acknowledgment that he hums a David Hasselhoff song to himself before shooting a free-throw to relax himself. David, with a chuckle, said he didn't remember any such gimmicks or quirks.

David, in his own right, has amassed an impressive basketball resume. Upon graduating from St. Mary in 1989 with more than 1,100 points in his career, he moved on to Northern Michigan University, where he scored over 1,200 points and was voted a regional All-American pick. He played in Denmark his first year in Europe, and then in Wurzburg his second season. After the second season, he decided to retire from professional basketball, and moved to Eden Prarie, Minn., a suburb of the twin cities.

He first worked as a teacher and an assistant coach at Division III Augsburg College in Minneapolis. While there, he worked with Devean George, who would later be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft. David left the school and now works as a realtor in Eden Prairie.

He still plays some basketball, but mainly just to stay in shape.

“Basketball has been very good to me,” David said. “I was very fortunate to travel the world. I ended up in a good situation, and I've met some great people.”

One of those people just happened to explode to stardom in the NBA.