The clearest example of a ‘One Club Man’ in the NBA. German power forward Dirk Novitzki spent 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, who acquired him after he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the No. 9 pick in the 1998 draft.
Loyalty and love for the colours have ended up costing him a high price in his day-to-day life after bringing his legendary career to an end.
“I can’t stop thinking that those last two years in the NBA were probably not worth it,” he admitted on the podcast of his compatriot Toni Kroos.
“There were brilliant moments, of course, but the team didn’t do well and the reality is that I can hardly move anymore.
“If I had retired two years earlier, I’m sure I would be able to move around better now.
“I could play football once in a while with the kids. Now I can’t even do that. It’s a great sport, a lot of fun.
“But if you can’t move around properly, it’s tough. I try to play a couple of times a week, but I have almost no mobility.
“Most of what I play are tennis doubles matches, I hit a few forehands from the back of the court and little else.”
The best European player in history
The after-effects of more than two decades in the NBA haunt him to this day and physical problems limit the daily life of Europe’s greatest ever player.
“It’s not easy to know when to stop,” he went on. “You keep having fun, you stay motivated, your body is holding up…
“Now, the best thing is that I can organise my time. I can take a month off and dedicate myself to doing things at home with my wife.
“And then I can be more active for a few weeks in my role as advisor to the Mavs. I’m my own boss now.
“That’s why I told the Mavericks management that this is the role I wanted right now, I didn’t want to get into a full-time job. I’m very comfortable like this.”
Marca
