Dirk Nowitzki was back in his home country of Germany this month, but not just to visit family and friends. Rather, the Dallas Mavericks legend went to Berlin to accept the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards.

“This is a huge honor,” Dirk said during his acceptance speech.

The 41-year-old native of Wurzburg, Germany retired from professional basketball in 2019 as the NBA’s all-time leader in seasons played for a single franchise (21). In that time, he was named MVP in 2007, won a championship in 2011, played in 14 All-Star Games, appeared on 12 All-NBA teams and became the first player in league history to surpass 31,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,000 steals, 1,000 blocks and 1,000 three-pointers.

“I was fortunate to grow up in a sports family that embraced the power of sports,” Dirk added. “My sister and mom played basketball and my father played handball, so I grew up in gyms all around the country, and I loved every minute of it.”