From secret German training sessions to mastering the iconic one-legged fadeaway, San Antonio’s towering phenom adopts the technical blueprint that transformed a Dallas icon into a legend.
Dirk Nowitzki spent 21 NBA seasons redefining what a 7-footer could look like offensively, eventually developing one of the most recognizable signature shots in basketball history: "The One-Legged Euro Fadeaway.''
And despite seven years passing since his retirement, Nowitzki's influence is far from over.
The statue of Dirk downtown depicts it. Kobe Bryant borrowed it. Kevin Durant borrowed it. Plenty of others have attempted their own versions since.
Now, one of the NBA's most unique superstars appears to be next in line.
Recent footage from the San Antonio Spurs' offseason workouts showed Victor Wembanyama turning over his shoulder and knocking down a one-legged fadeaway bearing an obvious resemblance to the shot Nowitzki made famous in Dallas.
And Wembanyama's connection to the Mavericks legend's signature weapon runs deeper than one offseason clip.
Five years ago, before Wembanyama became the No. 1 overall pick, an NBA All-Star or one of Dallas' biggest Western Conference obstacles, the then-17-year-old traveled to Germany to spend time with Holger Geschwindner.
Mavs fans should recognize the name.
Geschwindner served as Nowitzki's longtime mentor and shooting coach, helping the eventual Hall of Famer develop the unconventional offensive arsenal that changed how basketball viewed big men.
Wembanyama spent roughly a week working with Geschwindner in 2021, focusing not simply on individual moves, but the mechanics behind them — balance, body positioning, stride length and shooting technique.
Geschwindner apparently didn't need much time to recognize what he was dealing with.
"This kid has the potential to change basketball again," Geschwindner later told Marc Stein.
"Again."
What a fitting word considering the basketball lineage involved.
Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway became so synonymous with his career that the statue standing outside American Airlines Center depicts the Mavericks icon frozen in the middle of the shot.
And the move certainly wasn't created simply for aesthetics.
Nowitzki and Geschwindner developed unconventional shots suited to his unusual combination of size and skill, creating ways for the 7-footer to generate separation and release the basketball above defenders who already struggled to reach him.
Wembanyama now stands several inches taller.
Whether the Spurs superstar ever makes the fadeaway a legitimate staple of his game remains to be seen.
But more than two decades after Nowitzki began changing what NBA big men could become, one of the game's next evolutionary talents is still taking pages from his book.
