Dirk Nowitzki in tears in Eurobasket 2015 (Photo : Twitter)
Dirk Nowitzki has completed probably his last tour of duty for the German flag and it was an emotional moment.
The German team bowed out of the EuroBasket competitions after two upset losses to Italy and Turkey. This led them to a showdown for survival against powerhouse Spain and the outcome was not so pleasant for the Dallas Mavericks' forward.
With a 1-3 record, Germany failed to advance. An emotional Nowitzki bares farewell, as this is his last tenure to play for his flag. It may end with a disappointing loss, but the crowd knew how to send off a legend.
Speaking of legend, would Dirk Nowitzki be considered the greatest European player ever?
NBC Sports strongly answered in the affirmative: "Nowitzki is, for my money, the best European player ever in the NBA, and he has as unguardable a shot as the league has ever seen," they declared. "He carried the German national team for years. The pictures and video of when he took the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Germany in 2011 showed just how much that nation worshiped him."
The consensus is that he is the third best international player, behind Tim Duncan (born in the Virgin Islands, although he's an American) and Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria. Dirk has won an MVP (the highest individual award) and brought Dallas it's only title. That's
Is he also the top European in international play? That may be a tougher question and his main rival would be Pau Gasol of Spain (his rival as top NBA Euro as well). Pau has a more storied career in Internatinal play as he has the benefit of much better teams than Dirk had.
Still, Nowitzki's unfailing loyalty and commitment to playing for his country, considering Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban's vocal opposition to it, should be unquestioned.
