Dallas Mavericks legend and Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best international players the game of basketball has ever seen. Despite his success with Germany in the international scene, however, he had his fair share of heartbreaks.
On Saturday during the FIBA World Cup draw in Manila, Philippines, Nowitzki was reminded of one of those heartbreakers as he reunited with Luis Scola on the stage of the event. When asked about his memory of playing against Scola in the 2002 semifinals of the FIBA World Cup, Nowitzki jokingly said that it's such a “terrible memory.”
To recall, Germany fell to Argentina in the game 86-80. Nowitzki and co. eventually ended up in third place, while Argentina finished second after losing to the then FR Yugoslavia in the final. However, the Mavs icon made sure to give credit to the Argentine team as well despite the painful memory they gave him.
“Terrible memory,” Nowitzki said while smiling, courtesy of FIBA. “That was a tough loss for us, but it was sort of the start, obviously, of Argentina's Golden Era and they had an amazing team. Luis obviously had an amazing career. It was a great match, but we unfortunately fell a little short.”
Dirk Nowitzki was the MVP and top-scorer of the said 2002 tournament, so it definitely hurts that he wasn't able to make it all the way to the finale.
For what it's worth, Luis Scola couldn't forget playing against the German icon as well, noting that it's always a “bad day” when he's facing the Mavs legend.
Germany will be playing in the FIBA World Cup in August, with the team falling in Group E where they will face the co-hosts Japan, along with Finland and Australia. Nowitzki already said that he'll be in Japan to watch the games, and his hopes are high that the Germans will be able to accomplish what he couldn't 20 years ago.
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