Don Nelson on Scouting Dirk: 'Most Unbelievable Young Player'

Originally posted on FanNation Dallas Basketball
By Dalton Trigg | Last updated 8/7/23

When it comes to acquiring NBA superstars in the draft, you have to really do your homework to find potential diamonds in the rough.

For the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki, who is set to be enshrined at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, the 'diamond' wasn't necessarily 'in the rough,' but The Big German's talent flew under the radar enough to where then-GM and head coach Don Nelson felt the need to 'hide' him from other teams until the draft commenced.

In a story from NBA.com, where Steve Aschburner spoke with several people from Nowitzki's career, Nelson talked about what it was like scouting him and ultimately ending up with him on draft night.

“We scouted Europe more than anybody, really,” Nelson said. “Donnie got the international team to work out at the YMCA in downtown Dallas. So for a full week, I’m watching Dirk work out. He was the most unbelievable young player I’d ever seen.”

If people didn't know who Nowitzki was before, they certainly did after he scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help his team upset Team USA – something NBA legend Charles Barkley always likes to talk about whenever he gets the opportunity.

“We hid Dirk for several weeks before the draft,” Nelson continued. “We made a commitment that we were going to draft him. We just wanted to keep him from going anywhere else to work out. He was going to be ours. He was happy with that. So he hid for a week in Donnie’s basement.”

A little unconventional, but it worked out for the best, as Nowitzki went on to establish himself as one of the greatest NBA players of all time while bringing a title to the Mavs, as well as 21 years of unrelenting loyalty. Stay tuned for more Dirk content on DallasBasketball.com all week as we get closer to Hall of Fame weekend.

This article first appeared on FanNation Dallas Basketball and was syndicated with permission.

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