Dirk Nowitzki’s journey from an unknown European prospect to an NBA icon has been told many times, but few stories capture the real transformation like the one shared by his former teammate Nick Van Exel.
The ex-Los Angeles Lakers guard once revealed a side of Nowitzki that only those who shared the court with him could see, a mix of humility off the court and ruthless competitiveness on it.
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Van Exel, who played with Nowitzki during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, offered one of the most candid reflections on the German legend’s evolution.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Nick Van Exel on Dirk Nowitzki’s fiery transformation
What started as admiration for a quiet, hard-working teammate turned into respect for a player who learned to dominate with both skill and mentality.
“Once he got along in his career, he started to see how good he was and how good he could become, and he started to take his approach to another level,” Nick Van Exel Quick once said of Nowitzki.
He added: “And one thing about him is he’s so cool off the court, but on the court he got kind of a fire inside of him to where he was a little bit different.
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He was a little bit nastier. He was a little bit more, ‘I’m going to cut your head off.”
Van Exel’s insight captures what many teammates would later echo, that Nowitzki’s competitive edge wasn’t always visible to outsiders.
While his calm, humble personality off the court earned him widespread respect, his on-court demeanor was built on quiet intensity.
He thrived on challenges, often responding to physical defenders with sharper play rather than emotion.
Van Exel’s first impression of the future NBA legend
It was that balance of composure and aggression that made him one of the most unstoppable forwards of his generation.
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“I didn’t know who he was,” Van Exel recalled. “Didn’t know anything about him. And I don’t even think he had a good game, but just the things that he was doing on the court, I was impressed.
He concluded: “And me and Antonio McDyess, even Chauncey Billups, we were like, damn, that dude’s going to be good. This is what we’re saying in the locker room.”
That early impression proved prophetic. Nowitzki went on to become one of the NBA’s greatest international players, winning the 2007 MVP award and leading the Mavericks to a championship in 2011.
Dirk’s combination of size, shooting range, and basketball IQ redefined what a power forward could be, influencing a new generation of players who modeled their games after his.
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The “nasty” edge Van Exel described became the silent weapon that turned a once-unknown German prospect into one of the NBA’s most respected champions.