Nowitzki and the Serial Con Artist Who Stole His Heart

They call it killer instinct. It's what allows you to take that extra step on the court, that hunger that pushes you beyond pain, fatigue, what rationally should be your limit. Few have it. You can be a champion even without possessing it. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James: they are the most glaring examples of parquet assassins. Dirk Nowitzki is not. Which is not to say he wasn't a winner. Just another type of winner. Superior, devastating talent. But a good man, at heart. Not the kind of guy who would trample his grandmother if she found herself between him and the basket. Kindness that was about to cost him dearly.