Dirk Nowitzki's Devotion to the Game

Sure, the Redeem Team dominated the headlines of the Olympic Games. Yes, Yao Ming was able to play in front of his host nation of China, garnering standing ovations aplenty. But there is one story that has been overlooked—the pride that German forward and NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki has for his country. It was relatively well-documented in the German press that Nowitzki was nursing injuries throughout the Olympic Games, but forced himself to play through the pain in what very well may have been his last Olympic competition. Nowitzki was the key player in bringing Los Angeles Clippers’ center Chris Kaman along for the Beijing ride, to help boost what was an incredibly young and inexperienced bunch of kids. It’s no surprise, though, why Nowitzki is so emotional about these Olympics. After playing at the national level for the past 16 years, and watching the country’s attention grow rapidly more towards basketball, the Dallas Mavericks’ star will be remembered for one ... (link)