Dirk Nowitzki advice to young NBA players: 'Never think you've made it'
DALLAS - How to "make it'' in the NBA? Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki would like to explain to young NBA players to ‘never think you’ve made it.’
In an interview with Slam Online, the 41-year-old Mavs legend offered a glimpse into his 21 years of NBA greatness. In short, be a "student of the game.''
“I always try to see myself as a student of the game,'' Nowitzki explained when asked what advice he could give to the young NBA players of today. "It sounds silly, but never think that you’ve made it,”
Actually, it doesn't sound "silly'' at all. For those of us in Mavs Land who have covered Dirk and followed Dirk, we know all about his plan to "add to my toolbox'' every summer.
From Dirk: “Somebody else is working out in the gym. Always try to get better. Listen and learn. Watch your veterans. And just always, every summer, try to add something new to your game and never stay the same player. That’s how I always looked at it. I never wanted to be satisfied. I always wanted to be the best player I could be.''
We also all know about Dirk's unique training techniques, created for him as a teenager by mentor Holger Geschwindner. They all added up to Nowitzki winning an MVP award, a championship, 14 All-Star berths and a future place in the Hall of Fame. His special traits are among the most borrowed-from in NBA history. It's such an intricate puzzle ... with such a simple formula.
"It’s really all about hard work and putting the time in,'' Dirk said. "To be consistently good for a long, long time takes a lot of work.”
