Dirk Nowitzki could have changed the fate of the Mavericks if he followed his first love | If Then

[@theshawshankinception1220]

If Tim Duncan’s pool never got destroyed by a hurricane.

[@dubemmenakaya9624]

Dirk made the correct call, not only because he's an awesome player but because he saved himself from misery and heartbreak which Federer, Nadal and Djokovic would have given him

[@MFFL4115]

Dirk Nowitzki is the most under appreciated star in basketball history. Revolutionized the game with his shooting ability and carried the Mavs to the ship over 5 different MVPs... Kobe, Lbj, Russ, harden, Kd

[@openingband]

Most Underated: Yao Ming retired so young he is still 37!

[@mitchellbaker1632]

Lincoln Chambers he’ll win against 3 future mvps not 5 mvps, he versed 2 in their prime mvps, and 3 young up coming mvps

[@AverageRonin]

Openingband yea and everyone knows who Yao Ming is. Not eveyone knows Dirk

[@YonderWho]

AverageRonin+ Im pretty sure dirk is more famous than yao ming

[@jeffstut55]

KD stole his game from Dirk

[@TheLifeOfTexan]

As a kid from Dallas I don't even want to begin to imagine what my life would be like without Dirk.

[@REALTRUEJOURNEY]

DrSword gayyyyyyyyyy

[@JanKenk]

Dont worry you get to watch Dončič grow into the next Drik....hopefully

[@oakinw8361]

Kinda sus

[@TheLifeOfTexan]

DSJ_ oakinW 100% gay for Dirk

[@oakinw8361]

DrSword k

[@El_TigreNegro]

There's an alternate reality somewhere where there's a video being made about a now retired Dirk Nowitzki and how he rejected the Dallas Mavericks to play tennis

[@deafdragon88]

You guys should do a deep rewind on the Mavericks 2011 Championship.

[@stb55555]

deafdragon88 it be the quickest click ever seen!

[@jeffstut55]

The greatest NBA playoff run of all time

[@mydogsnameislucy768]

It was truly a jaw dropping run. I remember the time so clearly. I kept saying the Mavs were going to win and Dirk was going to add Lebron, Wade and Bosh to the already impressive list of guys he took out in that same run, BUT I didn't even really think he and the Mavs would actually pull it off. I mostly said the run would continue because I despised the formation of that Miami team at the time. No one around me thought it would happen and secretly I wasn't even too confident then it happened and I played it straight like I was a genius. Lmao good times.

[@darkpancitcanton8156]

Dirk clutch lay-up on Game 2 of 2011 NBA Finals needs a rewind. Welcome to a moment in history

[@kwanwonchung]

Dirk- The most loyal player in any sports...

[@aidanlynch8133]

kwang-won Chung tim duncan?

[@Colin-ut6cm]

kwang-won Chung have you heard of Totti

[@Jake_C75]

Aidan Lynch dirk has played way more years than Duncan already soooo... no

[@account6416]

I'll throw Joe Thomas into the mix.

[@mlitvak07]

Kobe?

[@popadopulas897]

I see Dirk, I click.

[@kevinmurtagh4996]

PoPadopulas 89 It’s supposed to go, “I’m a simple man- I see Dirk, I click.” If you’re gonna say something unoriginal, at least do it right!

[@popadopulas897]

NOOOOO F YOU YOU FRICKIN BRICK GO TO HECK

[@iceswallowgum8540]

PoPadopulas 89 I read this as "I see Dick, i click."

[@mmmcounts]

Friend of mine from Dallas used to say "Dirk" at times that initially seemed random. I wondered Why did you just say Dirk? He told me Dirk Nowitzki is the epitome of awesome, so any time I see or do something that's really impressive, I say Dirk as a homage to him. Try not to overdo it though, save it for special occasions. I decided I liked that idea, and this is motivating me to find a proper opportunity to put this idea to good use. Side note- it occurs to me that Dallas is very much a football city, but Romo had his chance and he blew it. Here's the way it breaks down- if you are attempting to do something difficult and potentially incredible, successful completion of the deed means you say "Dirk!" If you fall short of your goal in heartbreaking fashion, down an alcoholic beverage in disappointment, shake your head slowly and say "Romo."

[@oakinw8361]

W

[@ElGallodeGarland]

mmmcounts Romo cold his body just gave up on him he can't controll that bro

[@HufflepuffBaseball42313]

What's "Seguin" mean

[@IsaacPurpleguy]

All things considered, Romo still wasn't a slouch. He has some decent stats as a QB

[@Ross2272]

SB Nation has some of the best content, should definitely win a journalism award at some point

[@joshwonkim0895]

Here during the game of Dirk’s jersey retirement!

[@mattpokorny6038]

Isner hit 113 aces & Mahut hit 103 aces in Wimbledon 2010. The match between the two of them went 11 hours long. Look it up

[@eliweisshung3291]

Matt Pokorny *11 hours and 6 minutes. Jk

[@rishijammy3492]

Matt Pokorny They should’ve moved that match to Centre Court after day 1- Absolutely insane

[@Hakimw21]

3 days

[@sk_bennett]

This is fitting, considering what happened in Isner's Wimbledon semifinal today.

[@Hakimw21]

Lmao Isner was just involved in some bullshit like this again

[@openingband]

I am going to call you Jon Bois 2 because I am starting to like you.

[@edgarmanuelzetinaaguilar6972]

Openingband *Jon Bois 0.5

[@blakeketterer1847]

Hey more like .75 he just doesn't have the Bois factor.

[@ThePlumAbides]

Jr Bois

[@thezachman1]

Then Jon has accomplished his mission. He gave us the gift of love so we could give it to others

[@TheNrp8598]

This guy is also super funny on the now ended Uffsides

[@UggaBugga1]

Thanks for all the hard work you guys put into these videos for us :]

[@SecretBaseSBN]

Thanks for checking them out, let us know if we start slipping

[@BigBrezzy]

@@SecretBaseSBN 3 years later, I'm glad to report y'all still got it

[@pjetrs]

I think todays NBA would not be the same without him. He laid out the blueprint for guys like KD and took the big mans game outside of the paint. Basically how the NBA is being played today

[@BostonCommonBand]

Dirk Nowitzki could have changed the entire fate of the Milwaukee Bucks. Look it up, on draft night, they drafted then traded him to Dallas for TRACTOR TRAYLOR. Think of the early 2000s Bucks lineup with Dirk, Sam Cassell, Ray Allen and Big Dog Robinson.... THAT should be your "What If" scenario.

[@SinaSoh]

Boston Common Band to a lesser degree, same with Mavs passing on Giannis in 2013. That’s the basketball gods way of telling the Bucks, we owe you one for 1998. As a Mavs fan, I loved Tractors game when he was at Michigan and was pissed Dallas didn’t keep him for some unknown Euro. Hindsight being what it is it worked perfectly for Dallas in 1998 and it’s looking great for the Bucks in 2013!!!

[@BostonCommonBand]

There's a difference between PASSING on someone in the draft... versus drafting and trading them.

[@dexarceo821]

Yup. One of the Best or worst draft night decisions ever made -- depending on which team you're a fan of. And what's funny is 15 years later, the Mavs in some way returned the "favor" by not drafting Giannis so the Bucks was able to snag him with the 13th pick. I remember Cuban was on the record saying Donnie had his eyes on Giannis but he turned it down and opted for Shane Larkin instead in hopes of signing a big-name FA.

[@ando5581]

Unpopular opinion: I’d take a prime Dirk over prime KD any day. Dirk has proved he can be the best player and leader on a championship team, KD needed a lot of help to do that, and still isn’t a great leader, just a great player.

[@TheMW2informer]

ajnewi plus he is a traitor also!

[@sh6700]

Me too, but I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion.

[@snorrijornsen4566]

"no money in Handball" - maybe not in the US, in Germany it is the second most popular sport after Football. You can probably earn more playing handball than basketball in Germany. The HBL (Handball-Bundesliga) is one of the best and highest-paying leagues in the world. Also, Dirk's dad was a handball player himself, and Dirk himself has said that his dad was disappointed when he quit handball.

[@pollomaniac]

dirk nowitzky aka german jesus ! one of my favorite nba players of all time ,juch respect for the guy

[@klauswagner1607]

There is some money in Handball in Germany and Europe. I could see him play Handball if he was born in Kiel, Flensburg, Essen or Gummersbach. And most likely he would have become one or the best players, since there are some positions in Handball where hight is a big advantage.

[@tomdelany388]

Do a famous world cup rewind for before the final. Maybe Baggio's penalty miss or iniesta's extra time winner

[@WestsideVakay]

He could’ve gone to UNC as planned. Him, Vince and Jamison? Sheesh

[@joshbogen8746]

Imagine if LeBron played football, Dirk played Tennis and Tim Duncan was a swimmer

[@oliverdennis3115]

Nash played soccer.

[@khaitranngoc4176]

@@oliverdennis3115 Theoretically, Steve Nash could have been a member of South Africa's 2010 World Cup campaign at home...

[@localneo-graphic4647]

'In his prime Steve Nash'.' You realize Nash was nowhere near his prime in 98, right? It was only his second year and was playing like 18 minutes a game as a backup.

[@ShivenderDahiya]

#freebois

[@swish8855]

Shivender Dahiya ?

[@TIMpracha]

If dirk had played tennis, we would’ve seen a kobe lebron matchup in the 2011s

[@amadali987]

I love the new content. You just need to pump out more quality content on a regular schedule!

[@SecretBaseSBN]

Thanks Amad, we're trying!

[@AlonsoRules]

That dude has played for one team since 1998, that's pretty crazy. Approaching a 21st straight season.

[@martenhall6409]

Follow your handball dreams will, follow them

[@SecretBaseSBN]

I'm afraid it's too late. Maybe I'll practice now so I can join the senior circuit later on.

[@KofieWhy]

WE LIKE SPORTS AND WE DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS

[@loonety]

FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL!

[@KofieWhy]

TENNIS

[@sambrochin9307]

HOCKEY

[@looc546]

, GOLF

[@jamez1313]

Kofie Why? SLAMBALL

[@cihtzoeyiq124]

0:01 Miss the time Russell literally awarded the FMVP rather than stand aside...

[@heyandy889]

Basketball is my ... second-favorite sport. After floor hockey. Seriously who didn't like floor hockey day in gym class.

[@ylb2731]

heyandy x me

[@cpt_nordbart]

Nowitzki in handball... Boy that would have been something. Wow....

[@MarkCzmic420]

Cool video Thanks

[@djvw9]

Only thing you missed was the reason he played handball which was that his dad was a great handball player and his coach

[@MyKillyy]

LoooL SB Nation was using a video from Dawkins at 5:45

[@leejetson8509]

More like he would not have changed the NBA to what it is today

[@chrisdavis9163]

The goat

[@JoshSlattery]

Agree

[@russellmoore8187]

Pretty good!

[@Nock7777]

I'd say its good, but its not pretty good.

[@BurritoKingdom]

You forget the biggest influence of Dirk. The stretch 4/5. Without Dirk the modern NBA would be much different or the stretch big would have developed later.

[@lexie8362]

Dude you know that Dirk's father was a professional handball player and wanted him to continue handball but he droped it because he did not like it and not that his family did not want him to

[@sk_bennett]

So if LeBron had won in 2011, he would have won 3 in Miami. Would he have stayed in Miami instead of returning to Cleveland? And would he have gone to LA to chase won more titles? (yeah, Wade was declining, and Bosh's NBA end was very unfortunate) Would Whiteside have broke out like he did if LeBron was there? Lots of layers to this "butterfly effect".

[@SecretBaseSBN]

The way you think. I like it. I like you. Thanks for watching and embracing the fun.

[@daniyalsabri9992]

Bruh. LeBron went to a 35 win team with a bunch of 20 year olds. This was a family decision

[@oakinw8361]

Lebron shouldnt have won 2012. That wad rigged. 2013 was fluke too the spurs choked

[@theobuniel9643]

I still think he would've returned to Cleveland if he threepeated in Miami.

[@brennanbeyer5645]

This is N if L for other sports, love it!

[@zhuoranli4576]

If Dirk wasn’t there, so the 2011 nba final would be the 23 vs 24

[@ThePlumAbides]

Who's here after Dirk's final home game?

[@timothyvenske6519]

Dirk definitely made the right decision, there’s no guarantee he would even end up as good as Isner or Karlovic in tennis. He definitely wouldn’t have won many, if any, ATP tournaments.

[@jaspergimena9892]

Rewinder of the australia and philippines fight please

[@kilograms5656]

We don’t appreciate dirk tbh 😂😂😂 nobody gives him no typa credit

[@pob-4810]

Kilo Grams literally everyone gives him credit. You must be blind if you think we don’t appreciate dirk enough

[@kilograms5656]

Kevin Le when ? Cause i watch all the talk shows and all they ever talk about is lebron and random other topics never about dirk , must b a mans fans

[@connorogrady7297]

Dirk doesn’t have the lateral quickness to play tennis. You would need the foot speed of at least a small forward to be great.

[@yaboyjay7202]

German hero! I doubt hr ever would've truly made it as a tennis player. His parents weren't rich enough for that. Also don't underestimate the role of Holger Geschwindner, who was his personal basketball coach. He really instilled the work ethic in Dirk when they started working together, Dirk was 17 back then. Without him, Dirk likely wouldn't have had a shot at playing outside of Europe.

[@eliweisshung3291]

TheJoern being rich is largely a stereotype. The mother of a very good tennis player worked as a bartender in a strip club as one of her multiple jobs.

[@MrKurtykurt]

Thank goodness. Dirk in the NBA begins and ends with Holger yet no one seems to have any idea of his existence or the immense role he had developing Dirk’s game

[@no_one_of_that_name_here]

Nice story. Music too loud...

[@josh_richards]

dirk also could have changed the fate of the bucks but we of course had to trade him, this is before watching the video

[@MichaelJW72]

I think the trade had already been agreed to by both teams before the picks were made.

[@businessboss4838]

Actually Dirks father was a handball player and wanted Dirk to play that sport

[@invadeuranus5996]

Who got a tennis ad? Lmao

[@herencia2j321]

What if Randy Moss was drafted by the Cowboys instead of Greg Ellis?

[@CiabanItReal]

Think about how differently we would view Carmello if he had been drafted by the Pistons at #2.

[@deneuve5090]

Ohhh thats why his touch was so wet. He played tennis so his wrist control is way above basketball players

[@marcgschlossl2504]

you guys know something about european handball. Nice. I have played in a club in Germany. Make a video about Handball.

[@Colin-ut6cm]

Hans Willi cool

[@dr.rosterrier246]

You need to do a little better research on Djokovic and his coaches. He won most trophies under coach Vajda, not Becker who he struggled under mightily.

[@stanleygeorge1793]

8 foot serve vs an unblock-able shot... I’ll take the unblock-able shot

[@JeevesAnthrozaurUS]

B a s k e t b a l l

[@blacklite911]

Free Jon Bois!!! Let him do chart party/pretty good!!!

[@ma1ist]

Dirk would have just been an inferior Delpo. It's a good thing he stuck to basketball because he became much better at it. Edit: he'd also be competing in the golden age of Tennis where we've had not only the Big Three but also HoFs like Roddick, Wawrinka, Murray etc

[@kumar01234]

Flaw in your video. He wouldn't have turned pro at 22 years of age. He would have turned pro at 17-18. Likely earlier if he really committed to tennis.the whole collegiate athletes is not something good European sports athletes do. Heck Charles Barkley even tried to recruit Dirk to play for Auburn basketball team and he declined.

[@HufflepuffBaseball42313]

Do a baseball if then

[@ForEverton12]

W h E r E t H a R t T h O u J o N b O i S

[@The1stFishBone]

Dirk would never have been a great singles tennis player he's just too slow and he's always had trouble staying low to the ground. He may have been able to be a great doubles player though.

[@kingphil4073]

with his turtle like lateral quickness and his uncoordinated movements ( this hurts to see him defend ) he aint going nowhere in tennis . ( i'm not an hater )

[@JetEngine85]

If Dirk didn't play basketball., nobody would have choked in 2011..

[@delusional3392]

Wade wins finals mvp in 2011

[@KarthikVijapurapu]

No offence but Federer ate big servers for breakfast in the mid-oughts (Roddick, Safin & Philippousis). Becker's coaching brought an edge to Novak's game definitely but he still had to get past Nadal,Roger and Stan the Man which is a gargantuan task on any surface. In short, Dirk made the correct choice to play Basketball.

[@joeypark5082]

SHAQ & KOBE BEEF / MAGIC JOHNSON & ISIAH THOMAS BEEF. TY

[@JoshHart316]

Dirk didn't score his 30,000 point in 2011

[@SecretBaseSBN]

Yeah that was poor phrasing on my part. The 30k point and MVP line was supposed to be a lead in to how much he validated the decision, but it definitely sounds more like "here is what he did in 2011." My bad on that. -Will

[@goops3326]

How tho

[@AnoopKumar-hz4uk]

lol Isner just lost a crazy Wimbledon semis

[@handlebyme]

Imagine dirks parents in 07 Hey darling what is that crappy looking thing you're holding on tv

[@uzuvert7542]

he may have loved tennis but wld not have been anything in that sport lol

[@milannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

k.

[@gavino1589]

BOIS PLZ

[@TheXscreech2004x]

Well shit I wouldnt hate robert trayler. But I do....

[@Runmindrun]

Dirk has 0 lateral movement lol

[@williamjackson5421]

Really? He's just so not agile. Is movement not a huge aspect of tennis?

[@attysthoughts3253]

i love Dirk, but he doesn't have the mobility to be a tennis star. Or any other athlete besides basketball.

[@IsaacPurpleguy]

Do the Mavericks still suck now?

[@TRxh98]

Lmao how tf a 7footer gonna play tennis

[@eliweisshung3291]

Dolla does it John isner is 6 foot 11 inches. One inch taller isn't worthy of a tf.

[@TRxh98]

Eli Weisshung Damn, well i dont watch tennis

[@AnchorShip]

dqmn straight

[@kingphil4073]

john isner is 6'10 tho

[@Bones12x2]

Tall tennis players are like baseball pitchers that have a 100mph fastball but no other pitch. Isner serves at over 130mph and is so tall he can hit the ball deep but keep it in the box so it's impossible to return. But he isnt very quick compared to the elite guys so any time his serve isnt on point he is screwed. Dirk would be similar but probably better since he was a better athlete when he was young.

[@finishsniber6801]

It would have been a waste to see Dirks's athleticism and skill go to Tennis instead of Basketball

[@eliweisshung3291]

jaisnav rajesh but tennis is one of the best displays of athleticism there is

[@rylecut]

h-tine

[@nny2121]

Nearly 8 foot wingspan???? Lol naaaaah.

[@ethanlampe5820]

This isn’t John bois

[@bradenpittman1801]

If Jon isnt back by sunday i will do spine surgery on my pet rabbit

[@SecretBaseSBN]

1) everyone knows rabbits don't have bones 2) Jon's working on something big, awesome, and time consuming. Your patience is appreciated 3) please don't hurt bunny

[@mursuka80]

Lets be honest here. The reason Dirk is underrated is because he is white.

[@joeysukhi6889]

Hes too slow for tennis tbh

[@eliweisshung3291]

Joey Sukhi nah if you are tall and have a big serve you don't need big movement. There are plenty of tall, slow tennis players.

[@98tilinfinity4]

Joey Sukhi Yeah obviously now he is at the age of 40. But earlier in his career he was fast and really agile for his size. Doc Rivers even said he moved faster than a lot of shooting guards.

[@bollball1671]

Joey Sukhi youre not a true dirk fan if you did not remember the '07 dirk nowitzki...

[@Coff1nf33der]

Could have been another Goran Ivanisevic.

[@tp3hq125]

Joey Sukhi when dirk was young he was pretty athletic

[@I_ate_at_burger_king]

#freebois

[@gateway833]

#freebois