7-foot scoring machine who led the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Championship in 2011, becoming the first ever European-born player in league history to win the NBA Finals MVP Award.
After being called a freak because of being so tall, he gave up handball and tennis to focus on basketball.
He was named to 11 consecutive All-Star games between 2002 and 2012 and 4 All-NBA First Teams from 2005 to 2009.
He grew up in Wurzburg with his sister, Silke, and his parents, Jorg and Helen. He married Jessica Olsson in 2012 and he has a daughter named Malaika.
He became the golden boy for Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
