Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk Nowitzki was so tall as a kid that he turned to basketball because he got tired of being called a “freak” when he tried to play sports like tennis and handball (his father was a member of the German national handball team). At just 15 years old, Nowitzki was “discovered” by former German international basketball player Holger Geschwindner, who personally trained Nowitzki and funneled him to player for the German professional team DJK Würzburg.
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By the time he was 18 years old, he was outplaying fellow NBA prospects like Rashard Lewis and Al Harrington in international competitions, which led to him being taken with the 9th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft.
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