Dirk Nowitzki goes into EuroBasket 2011 in arguably the best form of his career having won the Finals MVP as the Dallas Mavericks lifted the NBA title. A ten-time NBA all-star, Nowitzki is one of the most instantly recognisable faces in world basketball and put behind him the disappointment of missing out in the 2006 NBA finals. Having missed the last two summers, his return for Germany will be a massive boost, and again make them contenders. He has been playing since 1999 when as a 21-year-old he became the leading scorer at EuroBasket before truly announcing his arrival in 2001 when he averaged a staggering 28.7 points per game and led his team to the Semi-Finals. A year later he inspired Germany to a bronze medal at the World Championship with an MVP performance and helped them to their first Olympic Games appearance for 16 years in 2008. The cult status of Nowtizki is well documented and his influence on this German team borders on being immeasurable. Charismatic and one of the best players of his generation anywhere on the planet, there is little else left to say about the Dallas Mavericks and NBA legend.