Smooth as Silke

SAN ANTONIO–She looked just like Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. The resemblance was striking.

I walked up to this tall, long-armed, good-looking blond girl and introduced myself during a lull in the recent National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. Her hair was cut to a bob. Nowitzki probably has longer hair, I thought. Nothing to lose by being friendly, I told myself. Besides, she could be Nowitzki’s relative. Sure enough, she was.

Silke Nowitzki, 28, is the Mavericks forward’s older sister and works in the Corporate Communications Department of International TV in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Her boss is Vice President Scott Levy who was in Manila last year to launch Solar Sports’ four-year contract to telecast NBA games in the Philippines.

Silke turned out to be friendlier than I imagined. She had a ready smile. I asked if we could sit down for a few minutes. I wanted to know about her for a story. Sure thing, she said without hesitation. It was the day before Game 1 of the San Antonio-New Jersey series and we were at the Hyatt Hotel where the NBA set up a communications center for the Finals.

I asked how her brother is. Nowitzki, 25, sprained his left knee in the fourth period of Game 4 in the San Antonio-Dallas playoff series for the Western Conference title last May 25. He averaged 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in the playoffs only to sit out the final three games of the San Antonio series which the Spurs won in six.

"Of course, he was very disappointed," said Silke. "He worked so hard, sacrificed the entire season to get to the point of taking his team to the Finals only to get hurt so close to his goal. I expect he’ll be back next season. He’s still not 100 percent but it’s not a major injury. What the Mavericks need to become a title contender? Maybe, a dominant big man in the middle, someone who can rebound, play defense and score.

Silke said her brother recently moved into a modest three-bedroom home in Dallas where he has settled down.

The Nowitzkis come from a sports family. Father Joerg played handball and mother Helga starred for the German national women’s basketball team. "Every weekend, we would do sports when we were kids," said Silke. "My parents were a big influence in getting us into sports."

Although Silke said soccer is Germany’s most popular sport, basketball is in second place, largely because of the NBA. Dirk was 16 playing for the Wurzburg X-Rays when he was spotted by former German national cager Holger Geschwindner. Incidentally, the team was named the X-Rays to honor the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen who discovered X-Rays in Wurzburg–the Nowitzki’s hometown–in 1895. Geschwinder, a 1972 Olympian, was a former art student under Dallas center Shawn Bradley’s grandfather in Germany. Bradley, a full-blooded American born in Germany and now a German national player, teams with Nowitzki in Dallas.

The 7-foot Nowitzki was picked on the first round by Milwaukee in the 1998 NBA draft then traded to Dallas. He is entering the sixth and final year of a $79 Million contract with the Mavericks this season.

"I’m quite proud of what Dirk has done for himself and Germany in the NBA," she said. "He’s not the first German to play in the NBA. There were others who played previously like Uwe Blab, Christian Welp and Detlef Schrempf but none has made as much impact as Dirk in terms of making basketball popular in Germany."

Silke said her parents still live in Germany. Her father makes a living as a house painter.

As for herself, Silke said she, too, plays the game. She saw action for the University of Wurzburg, played a year at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, then joined the NBA’s staff three years ago. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was never an option because she modestly said she’s not good enough for the pros. Silke played a year for the German national squad but never made it to the Olympics or World Championships.

Silke said she is engaged to Roland Mayer, a German computer programmer. They live together in New Jersey. They make a handsome couple–he’s 6-3 and she’s six-foot-tall.

Silke played in pick-up games with international broadcasters and NBA staff during offdays in the Finals. At the Fitness Center here, she was the only female among over 25 males taking turns on the court. And Silke stood out, not only because of her gender but also because of her playing skills. She’s got a sweet touch from the outside, like her brother, and her stroke is as smooth as silk.

In August, Silke said she’s resigning from the NBA to enroll in a 15-month Master’s in International Business program at the University of San Diego.

When she graduates, Silke said she still doesn’t know what to do. Maybe, she’ll go back to the NBA and work. Maybe, she’ll return to Germany and settle there. Whatever her decision, Silke said there will always be a place for basketball in her future.