Per HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons says that Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is his favorite NBA player.
Who's your favorite international player?
Ben Simmons: "Dirk. First of all, he's in Like Mike – one of my favorite movies! Plus, he's a freak. The fact that he's still playing and getting buckets is unbelievable. He's a legend, a Hall of Famer. I have a lot of respect for him."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 5, 2018
Simmons was born in Melbourne, Australia so his respect for Nowitzki, who was born in Wurzburg, Germany isn't nationalistic. However, with both players born on foreign soil, they share a bond that many other players in the NBA do as well.
The fraternity of international stars has grown steadily over the course of NBA history and, as a result, the league is at it's most diverse point. It wasn't always this way though, with European players often getting a bad rap, being considered too soft or too slow to compete with American athletes.
For that reason, Nowitzki's success in the NBA is pronounced.
A 13-time All-Star who won NBA MVP in 2007 and NBA Finals MVP in 2011, Dirk Nowitzki has been the personification of class throughout his career. A career that's lasted 20 seasons as Nowitzki continues to give whatever he can to the game, even if it requires him to come off the bench as he's expected to this season.
The NBA's active leader in games played (1,471), Nowitzki has played the fifth-most games in NBA history. He's also sixth all-time in career points (31,187) and seventh all-time in career defensive rebounds (9,868). Simply put, he's an all-time great player and arguably the most successful international player behind Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwan, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria.
Simmons' reasons for admiring Dirk extend past the basketball court too, apparently.
Simmons alludes to Nowitzki's role in the 2002 basketball comedy Like Mike, a role in which Nowitzki is asks the fictional Calvin Cambridge for an autograph so that he can give it to his niece, “Dirk.”
It's not a Michael Jordan in Space Jam role but it was one of the first time's Nowitzki's humorousness was displayed on a national level. To this day, Nowitzki's sense of humor is seen as one of his most endearing personal qualities.
Simmons could have picked a number of international players as his favorite, from Olajuwon to the recently retired Manu Ginobli, but there may not be a single person who would question his selection of Nowitzki.
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