Editor's note: The video above is from Nov. 11, 2014.
Dirk Nowitzi's NBA legacy is well-known, but something Bay Area basketball fans might not remember is that the star big man once committed to -- and flip-flopped on -- the Cal Bears.
Speaking to the media back in 2011, former Cal head coach Ben Braun relived his program's painful loss.
“I recruited Dirk really hard,” Braun said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “And at one point, Dirk even committed to play for me back at Cal. Nobody recruited Dirk harder than I did. I visited Germany a couple times, he’d been to our campus and he really liked it."
[RELATED: Dirk screams at TV when watching Curry: 'He's a freak']
Then-Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson -- son of then-Mavs head coach Don Nelson -- had other ideas.
“Donnie Nelson put an end to that quick," Braun said.
Of course, the German 7-footer ended up entering the 1998 NBA Draft, where he was selected ninth overall by Dallas, and the rest is history.
In his 18-year pro career, the 13-time All-Star has scored more points than any international player in NBA history, winning an NBA MVP (2007), NBA Finals MVP (2011) and NBA Championship (2011) in the process.
