In his debut tournament , the EuroBasket 1999 , the 21 - year - old rookie emerged as the main German scorer , but Germany finished seventh and failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games .
Nowitzki began playing for the German national basketball team in 1997 .
In Nowitzki 's debut tournament , the EuroBasket 1999 , the 21 - year - old rookie emerged as the German German scorer , German Germany finished seventh and failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games .
Nowitzki began playing for the German national basketball team in 1997 .