Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has seen it all: Basketball Bundesliga MVP in 1999, FIBA World Cup MVP in 2002, FIBA Eurobasket MVP in 2005, NBA regular season MVP in 2007, NBA Finals MVP in 2011 and NBA Champion in 2011.
His career path has taken him from his native Germany to the States and around the world, but it is love that has given him some roots in Africa.
So it comes as no surprise then that the man with the famous fade away shot is enthralled by the continent, and that love shone through when KweséESPN caught up with him at the Basketball Without Borders camp in Johannesburg, where he is one of the instructors at the 2017 edition of the programme.
"BWB is a huge part of developing basketball here, bringing NBA talent here, and bringing coaches here to develop the talent. I think it's been a pretty great programme and it has really worked," said Nowitzki, who will also represent Team World in Saturday's NBA Africa Game.
The likes of Gorgui Deng, Joel Embiid and several other African youths have used the programme as a stepping stone to successful collegiate and professional careers, both in the NBA and in other Leagues around the world, and Nowitzki was quick to point that out.
"More and more players from Africa are joining us in the League. There is so much talent on this continent, so much athleticism, and I'm glad we are finally digging in and developing some of the skills."
And like Masai Ujiri, and the others who started and have kept nurturing the BWB dream, the German with the half-Kenyan wife wants to see more talent emerge from the continent.
"We can see a lot of players coming over [to the NBA] and becoming not just a part of the team, but becoming impact players on their teams and in some cases even franchise players, so it's been amazing to watch and hopefully we can keep that going."
Nowitzki, who missed the BWB camp and NBA Africa Game in 2015, has set himself a clear agenda for the week, and the game: "I expect to have some great fun. Two years ago we had the game the first time. I couldn't make it, I wanted to, but I couldn't make it, so I'm thrilled to be here. I just want to have fun this week and teach the kids a few things from our game."
The elder statesman of the NBA then dropped some more off-the-court nuggets for the youngsters he just finished a session with, and for the thousands of others who were not in Johannesburg but who are following the events from across the continent: "The game of basketball is a beautiful game. It has given me a lot over my career; all my life it's taught me things about life. I got to meet a lot of great people over my basketball career; it's just a beautiful sport and hopefully we can promote it even more on this continent ... those are the goals of this week."