Dirk Nowitzki – NBA legend reveals: He lost 8 kilos against the pain! – US sports

Do you see Berlin as the number one basketball location in Germany for the next 10 years?

It’s just unbelievable how long Alba has stayed at the top. Everything used to be Bayer Leverkusen, ALBA then did a great job. This is deserved for a capital. I hope they continue to be a great basketball location.

You ended your career in 2019. Are you still itching in your hands at the European Championships at home?

That will definitely be a little difficult. I was at the 2019 World Cup in China. I’m a little further along now. But of course I miss that.

With Slovenia and Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, Germany has an opponent at the European Basketball Championship that you know very well. Have you already talked about the duel?

We joke about it often. I told him that he wouldn’t have a chance in Germany and that he wouldn’t make it out of the group. Then he just smiled. (laughs) Slovenia deserved a medal at the Olympics. You can just see he’s having fun. When he’s fit, they’ve got a great squad.

In addition to Slovenia, Germany also has to deal with Lithuania, France, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary. What do you think of the team?

Lithuania and France always have good teams. Bosnia-Herzegovina should never be underestimated. Hungary will be the must-have in the group if Germany progress. I hope that the team will qualify for Berlin. Anything can happen there.

With Dennis Schröder, the biggest German star for the EM is questionable. What can the team do without him?

I hope Dennis can be there. Hopefully he will have signed a contract in September, then it will be easier with the insurance companies. And if not, the German team can play well without him. We have great guards, very strong big guys. At a home EM, everyone has to be dying to play. We have to show up at our best.

What will your role as EM ambassador be?

We haven’t fully defined that yet. I’ll help bang the drum. I hope we can fill up the arena. I’m an ambassador for the whole EM. Let’s see how we will structure it.

Seven German players are currently in the NBA. How do you see the development?

Just pure madness! It’s so great to see that the sport is becoming more and more popular in Germany. I’ve always tried that before. Usually the big tournaments were never in Germany. Back then we were happy that we had a pre-season game here. So the fans didn’t have to get up at night to see me. That has always meant a lot to me. So the circle closes a bit.