Dirk Nowitzki quotes:

Off the floor, I'm really laid back: like, nothing really fazes me too much. But on the floor, I do get emotional and a little carried away. However, I started playing when I was 13 to have fun with my teammates, and that never stopped. I enjoy traveling and having fun in the locker room with the guys. Life is too short to be miserable.

Growing up, my idols were Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper. And Scottie Pippen.

I played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.

I never looked at basketball as work. I always enjoyed it as my hobby. I loved it. Once that love is gone, and I'm tired of working out every day and doing all the stuff to get me ready for games, and I'm tired of lifting and conditioning and doing all that other stuff around it, and I'd rather stay in bed, then it's time to go.

I may not be the most physically tough player, but I think mentally I'm right up there.

The best player I've ever played against is Kobe Bryant. I have seen him do some stuff that is just unbelievable.

I don't think the Whataburger would dunk on the In-N-Out Burger, but I never really liked Whataburger or all the other burgers. McDonald's is decent, I guess, but no, the In-N-Out Burger kills them all.

When I think about my MVP season, I will also think about the loss to Golden State. But winning the award as Most Valuable Player of the NBA is just a huge honor. I didn't really realize how big it was until Mark Cuban had tears in his eyes at the award ceremony.

Obviously, (winning the division) is big. To be No. 1 is always important..

I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less.

I thought basketball was a game for women. My mother played basketball, and so did my sister.

If theres an injury, for a couple games, you can have guys step in. But for a long period of time, it always catches up with you.

I came up with my own 'Dream Shake' I guess - the white version.

As a star you never know when people are really serious.

I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could bust out a couple of songs, but I'm not very good at it.

I want to raise a family and have a couple of small Dirks running around. But it will not be easy to win my heart.

Money isn't something I play for. I want to compete. I want to win.

If you do the best you can, you have nothing to be ashamed of. A defeat is not a disgrace.

I take my sport damned seriously. Basketball is my life. There are other people who go into important games as if they were any other game. I'm a brooder and I spend a lot of time thinking about my opponent, about the things he can do and about what I have to do to win. I don't think I'll ever be able to change that.

I know, basketball is a dance. I didn't understand the significance of that type of training at first. I was supposed to read poems...

I'm not the kind of guy who just goes up to women.

This feeling to be on the best team of the world is just indescribable.

As a newcomer, I was often expected to carry the bags of the older players, or get them burgers. That can make you feel pretty miserable.

Basketball gave me a lot, which is why I want to stay connected with this sport later on, maybe working with young people. But it would be more in the background. Being in the spotlight was never really my thing. I never wanted to be famous.

The playoffs is all about showing heart and playing together.

I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.

I lost control of myself a couple times in the playoffs. I have to keep cooler in the future.

Of course parents want their children to confide in them.