Dirk Nowitzki, a basketball legend and former NBA player came to Japan on August 21st, 2023!

He played 21 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and ended his career on April 9, 2019. He is also inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. During his career, he was the first European to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with his one-legged fadeaway which is considered to be an art form, and is also considered the greatest European player of all time. He was the flag bearer for Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships, and a silver medal at the 2005 European Championships.

After his retirement, he became a global ambassador for Bauerfeind, which was inspired by his use of the company's signature knee supporter, the Genu Train, when he was suffering from a knee injury and was attracted to its high quality and continued to use it.

Mr. Nowitzki participated in events held in collaboration with Bauerfeind and its Japanese Distributor, Pacific Supply Co. Ltd. The events included a BAUERFEIND CONGRESS (academic conference) for staff of medical institutions, prosthetic and orthotic device manufacturers, and sports stores that sell Bauerfeind products in Japan, and a BAUERFEIND MEDIA CONFERENCE where various media were invited to conduct interviews at BAUERFEIND FLAGSHIP TOKYO.

Here is the report of BAUERFEIND MEDIA CONFERENCE.

BAUERFEIND MEDIA CONFERENCE

Mr. Dirk Nowitzki at Media Conference 

Mr. Dirk Nowitzki at Media Conference photo session

At the media conference, more than 20 print and electronic medias including newspapers, sports newspapers, basketball magazines, and web medias gathered at BAUERFEIND FLAGSHIP TOKYO.

Mr. Boris Federau

First, Mr. Boris Federau, Director of Bauerfeind Asia, introduced Bauerfeind to the media, and then Mr. Nowitzki took the stage.

Mr. Nowitzki explained why he became an ambassador for Bauerfeind, saying, "I have been using various supporters, including the knee supporter GenuTrain®, since my working days (before I was supported by Bauerfeind). Among these supporters, this GenuTrain® was highly reliable for me and reeived this offer with no hesitation."

At a FAQ session from media, a lot of questions went out about the Japan-Germany match on August 25, and about Rui Yamura of the NBA Lakers, who unfortunately was unable to attend.

At the talk session with Mr. Dirk Nowitzki and Mr. Yasuo Iijima who is 3×3.EXE PREMIER champion, Mr. Iijima asked about coaching children, to which Mr. Nowitzki responded, "The old style of coaching in which strong words are used to restrain children is no longer appropriate today. Training suitable for each yonger generation is necessary (short abstract)."

Please refer to the following pages for more information on the media coverage. [Japanese only]

Bauerfeind Media Conference at Flagship Tokyo

Photo Gallery

At BAUERFEIND FLAGSHIP TOKYO, Mr. Nowitzki was happy to sign autographs for the fans who heard about his visit.

Talk session with Mr. Ijima

Mr. Nowitzki signs on the wall of FLAGSHIP TOKYO, which is nearly 3 meters high!

The original article of this article is here [Japanese only].