DALLAS — It was an opportunity Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki says he couldn’t refuse. It was also one that came at just the right time, according to the 13-time All-Star.
After helping to lead the Mavericks to their 14th 50-win season in franchise history before a first-round exit in the playoffs to bring an abrupt end to his 2014-15 campaign, Nowitzki was left to mull over whether or not to compete with his home country of Germany in international play. He then made that decision on June 4, announcing at a press conference of German Basketball Federation sponsor ING-DiBa in Frankfurt that he would in fact play with the national team as it plays host to group play in EuroBasket 2015, which begins in September.