The German women’s basketball team had a favorable draw for the World Championship – then the Dirk Nowitzki show began in Berlin.
The best came last. At the end of a festive evening, Dirk Nowitzki took the stage at Berlin’s Kraftwerk venue to thunderous applause. After initially cheering on the German women’s team from the front row during the World Championship draw, the entire hall celebrated the superstar, who was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame for his glorious career.
«I’m happy to be here. It’s an absolute honor,» Nowitzki stated in his acceptance speech at the ceremony on Tuesday evening in the capital. During his address, where the teleprompter occasionally failed and Nowitzki had to read from his phone, he thanked his parents Jörg-Werner and Helga, as well as his sister Silke and mentor Holger Geschwindner, who were in the audience: «You were the best parents one could imagine.»
As only the second German after Detlef Schrempf, the 47-year-old secured his place in the FIBA Hall of Fame, having already been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his adopted American hometown in 2023. However, this induction was not solely about his exploits overseas, where he won the NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Nowitzki’s legacy also encompasses his international successes with the German national team: World Championship bronze in 2002, European Championship silver in 2005, and being named the Most Valuable Player in both tournaments. And, of course, his participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as Germany’s flag bearer.
‘Absolute Honor’: Nowitzki Inducted into Hall of Fame
«Dirk is, firstly, an extremely good athlete who has achieved everything one can achieve. He has always remained grounded, is a fine person, and a good friend,» raved Ingo Weiss, President of the German Basketball Federation (DBB). Weiss further described Nowitzki as «an absolute beacon in basketball.»
Before Nowitzki and seven other sports luminaries were celebrated by the basketball community, the «big blonde» had been rooting for the DBB women during the draw for the upcoming home World Championship (September 4-13). And it helped! With vice-European champions Spain, Japan, and Mali, Germany secured one formidable opponent and two manageable tasks for the preliminary round.
«At the end of the day, it’s a World Championship. I believe every game will be tough. I’m simply really looking forward to the games, to the group,» said Germany’s captain Marie Gülich. To directly reach the quarterfinals, winning the group is essential. The second and third-placed teams from the four groups of four will compete in a qualification round for further spots in the top eight.
The goal of the German national team, featuring WNBA star Satou Sabally, is a medal at their home tournament. And Nowitzki believes they are capable of much. «The goal must probably be the quarterfinals,» he had said before the draw: «Then we’ll have to see how the girls are doing and how they start the tournament. Anything is possible. They definitely don’t have to hide.»