I want to raise a family and have a couple of small Dirks running around. But it will not be easy to win my heart.
Dirk NowitzkiAs a newcomer, I was often expected to carry the bags of the older players, or get them burgers. That can make you feel pretty miserable.
Dirk NowitzkiI know, basketball is a dance. I didn't understand the significance of that type of training at first. I was supposed to read poems.
Dirk NowitzkiI lost control of myself a couple times in the playoffs. I have to keep cooler in the future.
Dirk NowitzkiI wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.
Dirk NowitzkiIf theres an injury, for a couple games, you can have guys step in. But for a long period of time, it always catches up with you.
Dirk NowitzkiIf you do the best you can, you have nothing to be ashamed of. A defeat is not a disgrace.
Dirk NowitzkiI played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.
Dirk NowitzkiBasketball gave me a lot, which is why I want to stay connected with this sport later on, maybe working with young people. But it would be more in the background. Being in the spotlight was never really my thing. I never wanted to be famous.
Dirk NowitzkiI take my sport damned seriously. Basketball is my life. There are other people who go into important games as if they were any other game. I'm a brooder and I spend a lot of time thinking about my opponent, about the things he can do and about what I have to do to win. I don't think I'll ever be able to change that.
Dirk NowitzkiOff the floor I'm really laid back, like nothing really fazes me too much. But on the floor I do get emotional and a little carried away. However, I started playing when I was 13 to have fun with my teammates, and that never stopped. I enjoy traveling and having fun in the locker room with the guys. Life is too short to be miserable.
Dirk NowitzkiWhen I think about my MVP season, I will also think about the loss to Golden State. But winning the award as Most Valuable Player of the NBA is just a huge honour. I didn't really realise how big it was until Mark Cuban had tears in his eyes at the award ceremony.
Dirk NowitzkiI thought basketball was a game for women. My mother played basketball, and so did my sister.
Dirk Nowitzki