OKLAHOMA CITY – Last Thursday it was Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic who were in the national spotlight.
Now it’s Mavs players Dirk Nowitzki and Maxi Kleber – along with Oklahoma City guard Dennis Schroder — who will have the spotlight shone on them.
When the Mavs (29-46) face the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-32) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. CDT at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Nowitzki, Kleber and Schroder will know they’ll have the benefit of having the game televised in prime time in their native country of Germany. Since Germany is six hours ahead of the Central Time Zone, that means Sunday’s game will tip off live at 8:30 p.m. in Germany.
“My family and friends, especially games like this when it’s early, they’re going to watch it (live),” Kleber said after Saturday’s practice. “If it’s in the middle of the night – I know my family gets up a lot — they can (tape it and) sleep and watch it the next morning.”
Kleber acknowledged that he gets an extra pep in his step when he knows some of his family members and friends back home in Germany are watching his games.
“When I talk to my family they tell me, ‘Hey, we’re going to be up,’ “ Kleber said. “If they have to work the next day and they get up at 1:30 to watch the game, obviously it a big honor for me to play and know that my family is supporting me like that.”
Nowitzki and Kleber are both from Wurzburg, Germany, while Schroder hails from Braunschweig, Germany. In fact, in 2015 Nowitzki and Schroder were teammates on the German National Team that won one game at EuroBasket when it was held in Germany.
Nowitzki, who was the captain of the 2015 German National Team, announced his retirement from that team in January of 2016. Meanwhile, Kleber and Schroder were teammates on the German National Team in 2014.
Kleber is looking forward to fellowshipping with Schroder during the Mavs’ brief stay in Oklahoma City.
“It’s always good to see your teammates from the national team,” Kleber said. “If it’s against Boston it’s (Germany’s Daniel Theis) — or Dennis.
“It’s always fun to see them and meet them on the floor. It’s like being a little competitive, so it’s going to be fun.”
Doncic, obviously can relate to what Kleber, Nowitzki and Schroder are about to experience. Last Thursday some 2,000 people from Slovenia flew to Miami specifically to watch Doncic and Dragic, who both hail from Slovenia.
Miami defeated the Mavs, 105-99, and Doncic finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Dragic collected 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
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