Birthday greetings to the legendary Dirk Nowitzki, who turned 40 years old today

DALLAS – It seems like yesterday that Dirk Nowitzki left his home town of Wurzburg, Germany, and stepped off an elevator at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and came face-to-face with a knot of reporters and a small adoring crowd.
At the time, Nowitzki was an impressionable 19-year old man who the Dallas Mavericks had pegged as the franchise’s next up-and-coming star. Well today, 13 trips to the NBA All-Star game and one league Most Valuable Player award and numerous other acc