Dallas Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki receives the highest German sports honour – NBA Update
Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was awarded the highest sports honour of Germany by none other than German President Christian Wulff on Sunday. Nowitzki was exalted at receiving the Silver Laurel Leaf from President Wulff who
called Nowitzki one of the “giants of German sport.”
The Dallas Mavericks forward is on holiday in his home country after an exceptional year in NBA. His performances in the playoffs and especially in the Finals were so exceptional that the plaudits just keep coming for the player
even as he looks to shy away from media attention. The German president rightly labelled Dirk as “modest and restrained” at the ceremony.
Nowitzki is notorious for that modesty and has reaffirmed it even more since the end of the NBA season. Dirk was the spearhead of a Dallas Mavericks side that tore through the Western Conference playoffs last season. They humiliated
defending champions Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-0 sweep and then defeated the talented Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Nowitzki once again took the lead role in the NBA Finals when his team matched up against the Miami Heat. The Heat were viewed by many as the anti-mavericks. Miami had assembled a star cast in the summer with the likes of Chris
Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade joining forces in south beach to devastating effect.
Nowitzki himself provided a contrast to Heat star LeBron James in the eyes of many people. Both were free agents in the summer of 2010. While James decided to leave hometown club the Cleveland Cavaliers for greener pastures, Nowitzki
stayed on with the Mavericks despite critics claiming he needed to move in order to be able to win an NBA World Championship before the sun finally sets on his career.
The Heat were tipped to be the favourites, but Nowitzki’s inspirational performances hauled the Mavs over the finish line first. It brought to a winning climax his long struggle for silverware in his NBA career. He continued his
struggle despite repeated setbacks, especially when the Mavs lost out in the 2006 NBA Finals.
The player has been a beacon for aspirants of NBA basketball in his home country and Europe for years. In a league otherwise full of players who grab the media spotlight at any cost, Nowitzki prefers to stay quiet and just go about
his business on the court. While most NBA stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant endorse everything they can in order to drain out each penny that their fame can bring, Nowitzki has always been missing from the commercial scene.
Even after his NBA Finals MVP award winning performances the German simply doesn’t want to cash in on his popularity. Dirk is regarded as a real gentleman and analysts believe he is every inch worthy of the award bestowed upon
him.
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