By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The 2011 NBA champion and Finals MVP in the legendary European star Dirk Nowitzki, who represented the German national team throughout his career, has been named the EuroBasket 2022 ambassador.
Per FIBA:
Germany legend Dirk Nowitzki has been named as the ambassador for FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
The long-time national team star who was FIBA EuroBasket 2005 MVP after leading Germany into the Final, will first be present at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne during the Group Phase and then in Berlin for the Final Round. The event will be staged from September 1-18, 2022.
“When I was asked if I would like to become an ambassador for FIBA EuroBasket 2022, I accepted immediately and with great pleasure,” Nowitzki said.
“The whole world of basketball will be watching FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Many superstars from the NBA and from the European top leagues will be there with their teams. That promises a great basketball atmosphere. FIBA EuroBasket 2022 will generate huge interest from the general public, the media and, of course, basketball fans. Eighteen days in September 2022 are all about basketball!”
Nowitzki was always among the best and brightest stars in international competition, from the time he first ran competed at a FIBA EuroBasket in 1999 in France.
At the event two years later in Turkey, he poured a tournament-best 28.7 points per game and the following year he averaged 24.0 points per game as Germany finished third at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In all, he played at seven FIBA EuroBasket tournaments (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011 2015), two FIBA Basketball World Cups (2002, 2006) and one Olympics (2008). At the Beijing Games in 2008, Nowitzki served as Germany’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony.
Nowitzki, who spent the entirety of his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and won a championship in 2011 before retiring at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, is one of the league’s greatest ever players. He was named as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2006-07 season.
He has maintained a strong connection to basketball since playing his last game with Dallas. Nowitzki served as a FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Global Ambassador and is currently chairman of the FIBA Players Commission.
“I fondly remember my time in the national team and at the big events,” he said.
“The FIBA EuroBasket tournaments are some of the absolute highlights of my career. There were many unforgettable experiences for me that immediately come to mind. At FIBA EuroBasket 2022, Germany will once again show the world a happy, friendly, colorful, tolerant and open image of itself. Basketball fans from all over Europe are very welcome in Cologne and Berlin. We will try to be a good host and make FIBA EuroBasket 2022 a festival for everyone.”