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Nowitzki emotional: Big thanks to parents in German
Dirk Nowitzki wipes his eye during his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. photo
© Jessica Hill/AP/dpa
Dirk Nowitzki has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and will be celebrated at the ceremony. He gives the speech in English – with an emotional exception for his parents.
“What you did for me I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I’m only half as good a father as you parents were for me, then I’ll be happy,” said the 45-year-old on Saturday night at the ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts. Nowitzki was visibly touched when he thanked his parents and ran his fingers over his eyes. He has three children himself.
Nowitzki played his entire 21-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and left a deep mark on the premier basketball league in the world.
He led the Mavericks to their first and only championship in 2011, became the first European to be named the league’s most valuable player and is number six on the all-time scorer list. He is the first German to be elected to the “Naismith Hall of Fame”.