No One Was Happier To See Dirk Nowitzki Hit The 30,000-Point Mark Than His Longtime Coach

Many pro basketball players still have close relationships with childhood coaches, but few have a stronger bond than Dirk Nowitzki does with 71-year-old Holger Geschwindner, who he still trains with.

The stories of the two are famous – ESPN even did a video package during the 2011 NBA Finals on Geschwinder and the unorthodox training methods he used to train Nowitzki. Of course, they worked out in a big way back then, as the Dirk-led Mavs took down the Miami Heat to win a championship.

They also worked out in the long run, too. On Tuesday night, Nowitzki became the sixth player in NBA history to reach the 30,000 point plateau for his career, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain. He did it with Geschwinder in attendance, and after Nowitzki reached 30k, the camera caught Geschwinder with tears in his eyes.

And here was the moment that cause Geschwinder’s reaction:

Nowitzki explained in the Finals video that he didn’t just view Geschwinder as a coach, he also views him as a friend. Plenty of Nowitzki’s friends decided to weigh in on his accomplishment, but it’s no surprise that the person who has been by his side since the beginning was moved to tears.