Kevin Garnett’s head bang, Dwyane Wade’s baseline pull-ups, and Michael Jordan’s chalk toss. The NBA’s pregame rituals have always been part of the show. Some players do it for laughs, some for superstition, others as a silent warning to their opponents. And then there are guys who lean on rituals to settle their nerves before a big night. Enter Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk’s tradition wasn’t flashy, unlike the rest, but it was strange enough to leave fans curious. And now, he’s finally opened up about it.
Dirk Nowitzki is a man stacked with accolades. Mister Europa Player of the Year, NBA champion, Finals MVP, and a Hall of Famer. To deliver on those pressure-packed moments, those clutch shots, and that silky 87.9% free-throw stroke, he had to keep his nerves in check. And recently, the Mavericks legend opened up about his secret weapon in an interview with Germany’s OMR platform. “I’ve been looking for freedom. I’ve been looking for love.” Sure, Marc Seaberg penned it, and David Hasselhoff made it a late-90s cultural oddity. But it was Dirk in the NBA who turned that pop anthem into a bizarre courtside ritual.
On the OMR platform, Dirk finally pulled back the curtain on his quirky courtside ritual. “Bei Stresssituation während dem Spiel habe ich manchmal versucht irgendwie ein Lied auf die Lippen zu legen einfach versucht an was anderes zu denken…ähm oder bei wichtigen Freiwürfen” he admitted. Translation: “So when I was in a stressful situation during a game, I sometimes tried to put a song on my lip. Just tried to think about something else…or on important free throws.” And that go-to tune? None other than David Hasselhoff’s gloriously bizarre hit. As he said, “Looky for Freedom war damals das mein mein Song von dem Hesselof ja nee” Which means, “Looking for Freedom was my song by Hesselof back then”
Clipper Cuttino Mobley, right, reaches for the ball as he guards Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki during second quarter at the Staples Center Wednesday in Los Angeles November 08, 2006. (Photo by Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
But Dirk is not a newbie. He knows that no matter how many songs you hum or rituals you perform, pressure will always find you. In those moments, it’s just you and your mindset, and whether you can handle the weight. He also recognizes that what worked for him won’t work for everyone. As he also said, “glaube man es gibt auch nicht ein ein Rezept das für jeden funktioniert” meaning, “I believe there isn’t a recipe that works for everyone”. So what he believes is that every athlete has to find their own way to manage the storm. Just like he did night after night for the Mavericks across his remarkable 21-year career in the NBA.
Dirk Nowitzki’s loyalty forever ties his name to the heart of Dallas
In the NBA, it’s long been whispered that when a certain player or team dominates the league, big names naturally gravitate toward them. That’s what happened in Michael Jordan’s era, when Dennis Rodman and other stars found their way to Chicago. The 2000s saw Kobe Bryant and the Lakers build their own empire, constantly luring talent to chase rings alongside the Mamba. But through all the shifting alliances and recruitment calls, one man never wavered: Dirk Nowitzki.
Even when other legends came calling, Dirk didn’t flinch. During his 2010 free agency, Kobe Bryant personally reached out, hoping to convince the German superstar to join the Lakers’ powerhouse roster. Dirk once recalled, “I remember Kobe Bryant one year reached out to me… We talked, we texted back and forth, but I told him, ‘Listen, I’m sorry, and you know how it is. Dallas is my city and my home, and it would feel super weird to put a different uniform on.” Dirk knew exactly where he belonged. And the beautiful part? “I think [Kobe] totally understood that; I think he respected me more after that.”
That’s why when Dirk said during his retirement that Dallas would always be his city, it wasn’t just a soundbite. It was a truth wrapped in his legacy. And as fate would have it, his loyalty got the reward it deserved. In 2011, Nowitzki delivered Dallas its first and only NBA Championship, defeating a Miami Heat superteam in one of the most poetic underdog runs in NBA history. Fittingly, he was named Finals MVP.
Dirk’s story proves that sometimes, loyalty’s worth more than chasing rings. And in his case, it brought both.
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