NBA legend Nowitzki visits Kenya with Germany President
President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) shakes hands with National Basketball Association legend Dirk Nowitzki at State House, Nairobi on February 24, 2020. PHOTO | POOL |
What you need to know:
- The 41-year-old, who played his entire 21-year NBA career at Dallas Mavericks, is part of the delegation that accompanied President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the country where they were hosted to a State Banquet by President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
National Basketball Association legend Dirk Nowitzki is in Kenya.
The 41-year-old, who played his entire 21-year NBA career at Dallas Mavericks, is part of the delegation that accompanied President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the country where they were hosted to a State Banquet by President Uhuru Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
Nowitzki is the only player ever to play for a single NBA franchise for 21 seasons.
Photos of the 7ft star greeting Kenyatta at State House Monday evening emerged online. Nowitzki led the German national basketball team to a bronze medal in the 2002 Fiba World Championship and silver in EuroBasket 2005, and where he led in scoring and was named MVP in both tournaments.
Key among several initiatives announced by the two Heads of State is a plan by Germany to assist Kenya in setting up an applied sciences university and the European nation's commitment to continue supporting technical and vocational training in the country.
Kenyatta said the African continent has one of the highly innovative and skilled youthful manpower which if properly deployed, has the potential to tilt the world economy.
Regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and the greatest European player of all time, Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 NBA playoff appearances (2001–2012; 2014–2016), including the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and its only NBA championship in 2011. Nowitzki also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007 and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2011.
