Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is primarily known for his 21-year NBA career in Dallas, Texas. However, Nowitzki, 46, was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft out of DJK Wurzberg, where he played from 1994 to 1998. The Wurzberg, Germany, native ended up in Dallas, where he had an excellent career as a 2011 NBA champion, 2011 NBA Finals MVP, and 2007 NBA MVP, along with 14-time NBA All-Star from 2002 to 2012 and then 2014, 2015, and 2019.
As of August 2024, Nowitzki is the only DJK Wurzberg player to join the NBA. Nowitzki’s presence not only put German professional basketball players on the map but also the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks probably wouldn’t have maintained a playoff contender status without the German power forward’s services.
Despite an apparent fondness for the Mavericks and Dallas, Nowitzki never forgot about the Bucks and a possible move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read on for Nowitzki’s recent comments about the Bucks and Milwaukee.
Dirk Nowitzki’s 1998 NBA Draft Experience
Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t the only future NBA star who headlined the 1998 NBA Draft class.
According to Sports Illustrated, the 1998 NBA Draft was a “loaded one” as it drafted future NBA stars such as Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, and Jason Williams.
Despite being drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks, Nowitzki was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, who had the sixth overall pick, in a multi-team deal on June 24, 1998. Future NBA star Steve Nash arrived in Dallas in the trade. Moreover, Nash and Nowitzki reportedly became close friends.
Dirk Nowitzki’s Thoughts on the NBA Draft Night Trade
Last week, Dirk Nowitzki appeared on Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s podcast, The Thanalysis Show, to talk about the 2024 Paris Olympics, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, and much more. But the topic of Nowitzki’s 1998 NBA Draft night trade eventually came up.
Nowitzki told Antetokounmpo, “I think Milwaukee would have been great … I think Milwaukee would have been fun. Being in Dallas, I enjoyed my time — it’s my new home. I still live there. It ended up working out for me. But I think Milwaukee would have been fun.”
The Milwaukee Bucks’ New Direction
Dirk Nowitzki had an extraordinary career with the Dallas Mavericks, while the Milwaukee Bucks’ new direction raised eyebrows in the basketball world.
The Bucks made an arguable mistake by trading Nowitzki for the late Robert Traylor (1977-2011), who averaged 4.8 points in 488 career NBA games. Traylor negatively affected the Bucks’ trajectory during his two-year tenure from 1998 to 2008. He tragically died on May 11, 2011, in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, from a massive heart attack.
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