Nowitzki given green light for Germany

According to reports from the German newspaper SportBild, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has given Germany's NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki permission to take part in basketball's 2015 European Championships. After being asked whether he would be allowed to return to the national team, the 36-year-old Nowitzki answered with "Yes."

The Würzburg-born star is the focus of the team, but his most recent international outing is a while back: He last played for Germany in the 2011 European Championships in Lithuania. At the EuroBasket two years ago, Cuban put his foot down and said no.

Rio is the goal

At the European Championships, Germany will play their group games in Berlin, with the final rounds to be played in Lille, France. The tournament is focused on qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which is Nowitzki's great goal. The 2011 NBA champion has played 141 international games in his thus far successful career. His greatest achievement with the national team was a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championship.

jh/dr (SID, dpa)