Mavericks give Ryan chance to live dream
AS A skinny kid growing up in Melbourne’s southern suburbs Ryan Broekhoff would put his beloved Dirk Nowitzki NBA jersey on, grab a basketball and attempt to imitate the German-born Dallas Mavericks star’s signature move.
Nowitzki’s one-legged stepback jumper is one of the most recognisable shots in basketball and regarded as impossible to guard.
Broekhoff, now 28 and 201cm tall, is living his childhood basketball dream as a member of Nowitzki’s Mavericks.
On Friday, Broekhoff was in a locker room at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles getting ready to face LeBron James and the Lakers.
Each Mavericks player had a nameplate above their locker. Three lockers to Broekhoff’s right was the nameplate “NOWITZKI”.
“It was a little surreal at first,” Broekhoff, describing how his childhood hero became a teammate, said. “It’s a very cool experience. “Dirk was friendly and welcoming, loves to have a good laugh and now I just see him as one of my teammates and not so much … the superstar.”
Nowitzki, who turned 40 in June, had ankle surgery in April and is yet to play for the Mavericks this season, although his return is imminent.
Broekhoff received a firsthand look at the 13-time AllStar’s progress during training.
He was on Nowitzki’s team in a three-on-three game.
And, yes, Nowitzki’s stepback jumper still annihilates opponents. “He’s still got it,” Broekhoff said.