A native of Würzburg, Nowitzki came from an athletic family; his father was a handball player and his mother was a member of the German women's national basketball team. He first gained international attention at the spring 1998 Hoop Summit, where he scored 33 points to lead a team of international juniors to a surprise victory over a U.S junior team. Later in 1998, he was selected ninth overall in the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was immediately traded to the Mavericks.
After a season on the bench in Dallas, he emerged as a starter and future star in 1999-2000, when he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, finishing second in voting for the league's Most Improved Player.
The following season (2000-01), he averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and became the first Maverick to be named to the All-NBA team, making the third team.
In 2001-02, he averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds and made his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. He was again selected to the All-NBA team, this time on the second team. In the following summer, he played on the German national team that finished third at the FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis and was named the tournament MVP.
Before the 2002-03 season, he was named in a survey of NBA general managers as the league's top international player. He met those expectations; he matched his 2001-02 rebound average and increased his scoring average to a career-high 25.1 points. He was again selected to the All-Star Game and the All-NBA second team.
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