The only advice I would give young guys is to keep your ears and eyes open. Never see yourself as a finished product.
Dirk Nowitzki
I don't think the Whataburger would dunk on the In-N-Out Burger, but I never really liked Whataburger or all the other burgers. McDonald's is decent, I guess, but no, the In-N-Out Burger kills them all.
I want to see myself as a student. Keep learning, keep improving, keep your eyes and ears open.
Growing up, my idols were Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper. And Scottie Pippen.
Make mistakes and make bad decisions: you learn from them.
My whole first season was surreal. My first game was against Detlef Schrempf. There was German media everywhere. It was probably my worst NBA game. It was all a blur.
I've always made a fool out of myself.
I may not be the most physically tough player, but I think mentally I'm right up there.
I love to play, and I love the sport, but I don't play it to gain popularity.
I've never faked an injury or an illness before.
Money isn't something I play for. I want to compete. I want to win.
I never looked at basketball as work. I always enjoyed it as my hobby. I loved it. Once that love is gone, and I'm tired of working out every day and doing all the stuff to get me ready for games, and I'm tired of lifting and conditioning and doing all that other stuff around it, and I'd rather stay in bed, then it's time to go.
Everybody has different tastes. Some people love Italian food; some don't.
I think I can always shoot 3s. I think I can shoot 3s when I'm 60.
I played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.
My dad never really played basketball, but now he's my biggest critic. I come home, and he says: 'Why didn't you shoot there? Why didn't you drive?'
I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could bust out a couple of songs, but I'm not very good at it.
Off the floor, I'm really laid back: like, nothing really fazes me too much. But on the floor, I do get emotional and a little carried away. However, I started playing when I was 13 to have fun with my teammates, and that never stopped. I enjoy traveling and having fun in the locker room with the guys. Life is too short to be miserable.
I try to stay away, but In-N-Out, you just can't compare it. It's the best. It's the best. It's healthy fast food; they do their own meat and their own salad.
I'm not big on material things, but I like my cars. They are German-made and custom-made.
When I think about my MVP season, I will also think about the loss to Golden State. But winning the award as Most Valuable Player of the NBA is just a huge honor. I didn't really realize how big it was until Mark Cuban had tears in his eyes at the award ceremony.
I want to raise a family and have a couple of small Dirks running around. But it will not be easy to win my heart.
I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less.
You always want to improve, learn from the veterans on the team.
I came into this league when I was 20, and I didn't know if I was going to make it.
I understand you've got to go through tough times to get better.
I was never a great screen and roller, obviously.
I think different guys have different priorities. For me, it was always important to be in one spot, one city.
I was never the most confident man in the world.
I love watching Steph Curry. When he's hot, every time he gets it, I'm like, 'Shoot!'
When the media's around, I try to be careful. I don't want to make a mistake or use bad language, and I have to really concentrate because of the language barrier.
I'm not trying to make a brand out of myself.
I felt, when I was 20, I wasn't quite ready for the physical contact of 82 games. Mentally, it was tough. I forgot what city we were in most of the time. I can't even imagine going through it at 18 or 19.
Corner is the easiest three in basketball.
Top of the key is my shot.
It's fun being around guys that want to work, that want to learn, that want to get better.
Obviously, sometimes in the summer, when you're by yourself in the gym, you lift, you run... it gets hard sometimes. It gets hard sometimes; I'm not going to lie.
Most of my game is not really based on explosiveness, but I've gotta have a little lift on my jumper.
Over the years, I pride myself on being more than just a spot-up shooter. I've gotta put the ball on the floor. I've got to post up and drive the ball from the perimeter and get to the basket - all the stuff I was actually doing that helped us win the championship.
When you're older and get more experience, the game slows down for you. I know exactly what spot to get to where I can always get my shot off no matter who's guarding me.
