Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman(notes) confirmed Friday that they will play for Germany in the European Championships this summer. The tournament will send two teams to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Nowitzki, who was named the NBA Finals MVP after Dallas defeated Miami in six games, said he’d “like to help the young German team have success” in the 24-team tournament.
The 33-year-old forward had a short break this summer after playing 94 total games with the Mavs this past season, averaging 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the regular season.
Nowitzki and Kaman teamed up for Germany in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the team won only one game and finished 10th out of 12 teams.
Germany was placed with Serbia, France, Israel, Latvia and Italy in Group B of the European Championships, which begin August 31 in Lithuania. The top three finishers in group play move on to the knockout rounds.