Dirk Nowitzki Says He Went on Three-Week Drinking Binge After Losing ’06 Finals

The Dallas Mavericks partied hard after winning the NBA title this year, dropping over $100,000 at the club on drinks. Dirk Nowitzki seemed to enjoy himself based on the pictures, even posing for a shot with rapper Lil’ Wayne. Though he did get his drink on somewhat, Dirk seemed to be reserved. He says it’s because he’s changed as he’s gotten older. In an interview with KCTK, he said he went on a three-week drinking binge after losing in ’06.

Here’s a transcription from his interview thanks to The Dallas Morning News via IamaGM.com:

Host: What it was like to hear people say over and over ‘I want this for Dirk’:

Dirk: It’s special, but I think why that is, is because the people always saw how much that means to me, how devastated I am after losing in the first round, that I basically have to travel halfway across the world just to get away. And how devastated I was after losing the Finals in ’06, so I had to go on a three-week drinking binge just to forget everything. I just think people saw how hard I take it, that my heart is in it all the way, and I do this the right way. Work so hard at it, every year try to practice in the summer and come back and do it. I just think the people appreciate how hard I work and the work I put in. I just think it’s very humbling for people to be on my side and ultimately want me to get the ring, it’s great.

Host: It’s funny you went on a three-week drinking binge just to forget and now you’re probably going to go on a three-week drinking binge just to have fun.

Dirk: That’s the funny thing, I am a little older now than I was then. I actually think we partied harder in ’06 when we lost just to forget about it than we did now. Yeah, we had some good nights so far and my birthday was in there, but in ’06, Jet picked me up for the party bus almost every day, and we went somewhere just to make us forget and have a good time. We ended up in Vegas after three hard weeks. This year, we had a couple of good nights, but I’m 33 now. My body can’t recover, so you have to party one day, and the next day has to be off. You can’t go back to back when you’re that old. Just partying once in a while gets old, but I’ll definitely put in some good work when I get to Germany when I see my friends, definitely be a couple of good nights there.

That tells you, in case you weren’t already aware, how tough it was for them to lose in the finals. There were some other interesting pieces of information shared. Dirk made it seem like he was really interested in playing for Germany in international competition this summer. He also explained that he told his family not to come out for the Finals because he wanted to keep his routine the same, but that he’s looking forward to visiting them. Lastly, Dirk reiterated that winning the Finals this year was a little sweeter after losing in ’06. But seriously, drinking for three weeks straight to drown your sorrows? I’m surprised he didn’t wind up with the butt tattoo instead of someone else.