He is one of the biggest stars of American basketball, an idol and role model for millions of fans. The success story of Dirk Nowitzki is an inspiration especially for many young people. Even if the likeable Würzburg native can't quite comprehend the hype surrounding him, the enthusiasm that the 2.13-meter man inspires in his fans, not only in the USA, is undeniable. This became clear in Frankfurt, where Nowitzki held the only press conference for the documentary film The Perfect Throw. Besides numerous media, many fans from all over Germany came to get a glimpse of their idol.
Accordingly, the press event was put on quite spectacularly. In front of the ING-DiBa headquarters on Theodor-Heuss-Allee, a fan tribune was set up with the best view of the small interview stage and a large LED screen guaranteed everyone present, whether journalist or fan, a perfect view of the exceptional athlete. At 12 o'clock on the dot, Nowitzki was announced by presenter Frank Buschi Buschmann and, accompanied by booming rock sounds, took a dip in the crowd before taking his seat next to Buschmann on stage. Already here it became clear that Nowitzki is not one of those unapproachable superstars, but has remained pleasantly down-to-earth despite all his successes (and defeats).
The first part of the almost 75-minute press conference was made up of a relaxed conversation between former basketball player and popular sports commentator Frank Buschmann and Dirk Nowitzki. The two talked about the past season of the Dallas Mavericks as well as what the coming months will bring for the club. Here, the conversation also turned to the topic of money, as Nowitzki had waived part of his impressive salary so that the Mavericks could buy good new players. Nowitzki revealed that his mother, Helga, is still in charge of his finances, adding with a laugh that she still gives him his allowance.
After also answering the inevitable question of whether the 2015 European Basketball Championships were still an issue for him by saying that he enjoyed playing for Germany so much that he didn't want to close the lid just yet, even though participating would mean training almost non-stop, the conversation turned to the film, which will be released in cinemas nationwide on September 18. Director Sebastian Dehnhardt (Klitschko) and producer Leopold Hoesch came on stage for this part of the press conference. Dirk Nowitzki told that he needed some time to get used to the idea that a documentary about him should be filmed, as he is in principle rather a person who keeps his private life to himself. But fortunately Hoesch and Dehnhardt were able to convince him of the project, Nowitzki - Der perfekte Wurf has become a very good film in every respect - but more about that in my detailed review on the cinema release.
It was amusing to learn that the first conversation between Nowitzki and Dehnhardt took place during a commercial shoot for ING DiBa on Mallorca, when Denhardt and Hoesch had long since started production. They also talked about the first meetings with Nowitzki's mentor Holger Geschwindner, who watched the press conference from a safe distance in the vestibule of ING DiBa, how they got hold of old footage of little Dirk during his early basketball experiences and what a stroke of luck it was for the film to get his mother, who has never given an interview, on camera alongside Nowitzki's father and sister.
Overall, it was a very relaxed and interesting conversation that concluded with some questions from press and fans and a photocall afterwards. Actually, right after that, the many one-on-one interviews would have been on the agenda. But Dirk Nowitzki did not miss the opportunity to sign numerous autographs and to be available for photos with his fans. In the end, the NBA star left an all-round likeable, down-to-earth impression and revealed an accessibility to his fans that made the journey, which was quite a long one for some, absolutely worthwhile.
More about the movie can be found in time for the theatrical release here on Frankfurt-Tipp!
An article by Frankfurt-Tipp
Copyright: Sebastian Betzold
