about his life on and off the court. >> reporter: among the many european athletes who have tried their hand in the nba, perhaps none has been as successful as germany's dirk nowitzki. from a family of professional athletes, the young dirk was exposed to many sports. he was also encouraged to learn a musical instrument. a hobby he still keeps up. >> i first started would have saxophone a long time ago. and i had my teeth knocked out, and then i couldn't really like bite on it anymore and play. i quit that. i started playing guitar for a couple years. it was fun. i still bring it out once in a while, bust out a couple songs. but i'm not very good at it. >> reporter: fortunately he's hit all the right notes on the court. he's led the mavericks to the playoffs ten straight times, including an appearance in the 2006 finals. while becoming a ten-time all-star and in 2007 making history as the first european player to be named league mvp. not that his parents allow any