GERMANY: BASKETBALL - NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki is back in his home country to train with the German national basketball team two weeks before the start of the European Championships

Record ID: 1525641

  • Title: GERMANY: BASKETBALL - NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki is back in his home country to train with the German national basketball team two weeks before the start of the European Championships
  • Date: 18th August 2011
  • Summary: BAMBERG, GERMANY (AUGUST 17, 2011) (REUTERS) VIEW OF BASKETBALL COURT VARIOUS OF DIRK NOWITZKI WALKING ONTO PITCH PHOTOGRAPHERS VARIOUS OF NOWITZKI POSING PHOTOGRAPHERS VARIOUS OT TEAM POSING NOWITZKI AT NEWS CONFERENCE NOWITZKI'S FEET NOWITZKI AT NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIRK NOWITZKI, SAYING: "At the beginning it was difficult. When you achieve your life-long goal then you lose your motivation a bit. The first two weeks weren't too great, I'll admit that but last week it was a bit better and now we have just about two weeks until the first game. We have enough games for me to get my rhythm and condition back and I think I'm actually on good form." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRK NOWITZKI, SAYING: "I feel good. I feel good playing again. I feel good moving. It's been a while. I practiced the last three weeks by myself so I'm kind of glad to be practicing with the team and preparing for this upcoming European championship. It's going to be a fun challenge helping these young kids getting to the Olympic Games, so it's going to be fun."
  • Embargoed: 2nd September 2011 03:24
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA4UC4DLQRQ34VO9ZKXSKG8OKAO
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: NBA Champion basketball player Dirk Nowitzki returned home to train with his German team mates on Wednesday (August 17) for the first time in three years.
    The team gathered in the southern German town of Bamberg to prepare for this weekend's Super Cup. The tournament is being seen as a warm-up event for the European Championships, which start in two weeks' time in Lithuania.
    Nowitzki, who became the first German to win an NBA title when his Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in June and who was named "most valuable player", said he was glad to be playing again after a short break.
    "At the beginning it was difficult. When you achieve your life-long goal then you lose your motivation a bit. The first two weeks weren't too great, I'll admit that but last week it was a bit better and now we have just about two weeks until the first game. We have enough games for me to get my rhythm and condition back and I think I'm actually on good form," he told journalists at the training session.
    Nowitzki was joined by another German national playing in America, Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers.
    The two professionals will be joining a young German team which has never played together in this formation.
    Speaking to Reuters TV, the German national team coach, Dirk Bauermann said he was amazed that Nowitzki was prepared to take part in the tournament, after only having a break of a few weeks following last season's successes in the U.S.
    "Dirk had a really mini break, which was really far too short and 99 per cent of all professional athletes would have said in this situation, I'm sorry but I'm not ready. He's doing it anyway though. Chris Kaman has not played any games for the last four months so you have to understand that we are taking part under difficult conditions," Bauermann said.
    Germany will take on Belgium on Friday (August 19), followed by Greece and Turkey over the weekend in the 23rd edition of the tournament.
    The Germans have two weeks to build up a super team if they are to complete their goal and become European Champions in two weeks in Lithuania.
    The top two teams in the tournament will be guaranteed places in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
    The European Championship begins on August 31 and will run until September 18
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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