A journey into the mindset of a historic basketball superstar, and the importance of his landmark career.

The seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki is one of the great players in basketball history. With a devastating fadeaway and unexpected agility, the Dallas Mavericks superstar helped to pioneer the modern three-shooting game and became a global ambassador for the sport. Award-winning novelist and sportswriter Thomas Pletzinger traveled with Nowitzki for more than seven years, seeking the secret of his success and longevity. In novelistic detail, Pletzinger tells the dramatic story of how a lanky kid from the German suburbs became a top-five all-time scorer and NBA champion. He profiles the revolutionary training methods developed by Holger Geschwindner, Dirk’s enigmatic mentor and coach, whose philosophical insights on performance, creativity, and freedom shaped Dirk’s game.

A masterpiece of sports journalism and a work of personal obsession—akin to John McPhee’s A Sense of Where You Are and David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game—The Great Nowitzki brims with a fan’s passion and offers an intimate portrait of an iconic performer.

About the Author: 

Thomas Pletzinger is an award-winning German novelist, sportswriter, and basketball fanatic. He has won fellowships and teaching positions at the University of Iowa, New York University, and Grinnell College.

(Translated by Shane Anderson)