Later in 1998, he was selected ninth overall in the NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but was immediately traded to the Mavericks with the draft rights to Pat Garrity for the draft rights to Robert "Tractor" Traylor.
Mavs GM Don Nelson touted Nowitzki as the sure-fire 1998-99 Rookie of the Year at the draft, a lofty expectation for a 19-year-old kid who was in the U.S. for the first time. Dallas fans were understandably upset, then, when Nowitzki looked lost when on the floor in mop-up minutes as a rookie. Determined to prove that he could be a force in the NBA, Nowitzki returned to Germany in the 1999 offseason, working hard on sharpening his total game. The summer of work helped immensely, as Dirk 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.
He suffered through nagging ankle injuries in 2003-04, but still managed to finish in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring, at 21.8 ppg, and added 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He was again selected for the All-Star Game, and again made the All-NBA team, this time on the third team. Nowitzki was one of the Mavericks' few bright spots in a five-game loss to the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 2004 playoffs, averaging 26.6 points and 11.8 rebounds for the series.
Dirk was voted to the first team All-NBA squad for the 2004-05 season, although the Mavericks were ousted from the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by former teammate and current friend Steve Nash. That season he also earned third place in the league's MVP vote, behind Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, after posting imposing statistics (26.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.1 apg) during the regular season. By being elected to the first team All-NBA, Nowitzki became the first player who did not attend a United States high school or college to be on the All-NBA first team.
In January 3, 2006, Nowitzki broke a Mavericks franchise record, previously held by Steve Nash, by making his 50th consecutive free throw. On January 6, his record streak ended at 60.
During the 2006 All-Star Weekend in Houston, Nowitzki scored 18 points to win the 3-point Shootout contest.
--Wikipedia
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