Basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in Berlin. His family and longtime mentor attended the ceremony at Kraftwerk. Nowitzki described it as a great honor in his home country.
The ceremony took place at Kraftwerk in Berlin, honoring Dirk Nowitzki for his contributions to world basketball and especially the German national team. "It is an absolute honor to be here today," said the 47-year-old in his speech. Despite a faulty teleprompter, he remained composed. "Being honored in my home country means a hell of a lot to me," he added.
His parents Helga Nowitzki and Jörg-Werner Nowitzki, sister Silke, and longtime mentor Holger Geschwindner were present. Ingo Weiss, president of the German Basketball Federation, praised Nowitzki: "Dirk is an extremely good athlete who has achieved everything possible. He has always stayed grounded, a fine guy and a good friend."
From 1997 to 2015, Nowitzki played 153 games for Germany, leading the team to bronze at the 2002 World Championship in the USA and silver at the 2005 European Championship. Three years ago, he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. With the Dallas Mavericks, he won the title in 2011 and was named MVP in 2006, playing 21 seasons there.
Alongside Nowitzki, legends like Sue Bird from the USA, Hidayet Türkoğlu from Turkey, and Celine Dumerc were honored. He is the second German after Detlef Schrempf.
