Dirk Nowitzki Might Be Done Playing for Germany’s National Team

If true, this will surely make Mark Cuban one happy dude. Svetislav Pesic, the new coach of Germany’s national hoops team, says he’s not counting on Dirk Nowitzki (who expressed some regret about playing for his country last summer) going forward. From Fiba.com: “Does Nowitzki figure into Pesic’s plans? ‘I believe that Nowitzki isn’t expecting my call,’ Pesic said. ‘He needs peace, a summer vacation. He has to think about his future. But, of course, we’ll discuss his plans. Germany lived on Dirk’s glory for long time. Since the bronze in Indianapolis, silver at the FIBA European Championship in 2005, up to these days. Because of the magnitude of his personality and basketball qualities, many other players were just – other players. That wasn’t bad, it was normal back in those days as Nowitzki is a true leader on the court, but I think that there is a new wave of players in Germany that can help to build new future.’ Pesic, who also led Alba Berlin to four German league titles and a Korac Cup triumph, as well as the former Yugoslavia to gold medals at EuroBasket 2001 and at the 2002 World Championship, loves the opportunity to work with a national team again. But he knows it will be tough. ‘It’s not an easy challenge,’ he said. ‘In a national team, you can’t start from scratch like in a club. But, as time goes on, and Nowitzki isn’t a young guy anymore, the future must be built on new strengths. And I think that German basketball has that.’”