Dirk Nowitzki Joins Showtime® Basketball Series Headliners

An NBA champion and Finals MVP, NBA MVP and 14-time All-Star, Nowitzki entertains with dozens of stories from his Hall of Fame career, starting with his early days in Germany, where his extreme height caused enough alarm his parents contemplated growth-slowing hormone therapy. Nowitzki also recalls his awkward – and often hilarious – adjustment to living in America as he tried to make his way in a league that had labeled him “soft” before he even stepped onto the court. He recounts his giddy early days with fellow Hall of Famer Steve Nash and the disappointment of his first NBA Finals and MVP season when a first-round playoff upset embarrassed him so much he initially told the league office he didn’t even want the award. Nowitzki also describes the triumphs of eventually winning the championship, his call with Bryant, and his mentorship of next-generation superstar Luka Doncic.

In the clip below, Nowitzki talks about how Kobe Bryant wanting to recruit him to the Lakers in his episode of “HEADLINERS WITH RACHEL NICHOLS”:

: