Maxi Kleber is Happy to Play With Dirk In Dallas

After becoming the second player from Wurzburg, Germany to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, Maxi Kleber is happy he gets to finally play alongside of Dirk.

Over the summer, the Dallas Mavericks decided to fill out a roster spot with another kid from Germany. Not only was it Germany, but from the city of Wurzburg.

The same hometown of Dirk Nowitzki.

Signing with the Mavericks on  three-year, partially guaranteed deal with his 2017-18 season fully guaranteed, Kleber gets his shot at the NBA where he hopes to make one of the last roster spots.

After signing with the Mavericks, Jorge Sierra, of HoopsHype, had a chat with Kleber about his situation coming to the NBA and his relationship with NBA legend, Dirk Nowitzki.

HoopsHype asked him a few different questions about the situation surrounding his official signing,

“Playing in the NBA was a childhood dream,” Kleber told HoopsHype about how nervous he was to sign his first NBA contract.

When he was asked about why he started playing basketball and his relationship with Dirk Nowitzki, he credited his brother for introducing him to the game. Then he mentioned watching Nowitzki on tv.

"“The older we got the more we knew about basketball, and then we found out about Nowitzki, what he was doing. When I was eight, Nowitzki was already playing there and of course got pretty big after that,” Kleber told HoopsHype."

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On his relationship with Nowitzki, he admits they have texted but says they don’t have a personal relationship.

"“We text each other once in a while but we don’t have really a close friendship just because of the fact we’ve never played together. I wish I could have played with him on the National Team but I never got to do that. I’m really happy that I can play with him in Dallas, I can learn so much from him now. But yeah, I’m from Würzburg, he’s from Würzburg, so it’s going to be special, there’s going to be a good friendship. He’s the king of the city and can really walk outside when he visits and he was my hero when I was young,” Kleber told HoopsHype."

Kleber will come in as a paid training camp invite basically. With Dallas showing in the past that they are willing to cut guaranteed money in camp, nothing is guaranteed for Kleber in making the roster.

Kleber went on to talk with HoopsHype about his expectations coming into Dallas, how he almost came to the NBA before, and more.

Read the full HoopsHype interview here.

Next: What Will Make a Successful 2017-18 Season in Dallas?

With a few regular season roster spots up for grab, an impressive camp from Kleber could mean an extended stay for the German.