--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to avoid service, because I was…" description: "\"I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.\" — Dirk Nowitzki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png" --- # I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to… ![“I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.” quote by Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png) > “I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.” [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prioritized basketball training over other jobs, seeing service work as a distraction from his athletic goals. **In simple terms:** He chose to focus on basketball instead of other work. Key Takeaway Focus on your primary goal. Themes dedication career focus athletics Mood determined reflective Type motivational career. When to use this quote - college recruitment - professional training - time management - career planning Key Concepts Opportunity cost goal prioritization Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are you willing to make for your dream? - How do you manage immediate needs versus future goals? A Different Perspective Balancing financial needs with long‑term aspirations can be hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-player/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) ## Related quotes > [It's not like being a professional basketball player where you're in a big house. Maybe three, four or five guys make a couple million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-grillo/it-s-not-like-being-a-professional-basketball-player-where-you-re-in/) [Frank Grillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-grillo/) > [There have been players with Indian heritage, but there hasn't been a Native-American professional basketball player who became a regular for all sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/there-have-been-players-with-indian-heritage-but-there-hasn-t-been-a/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [My confidence level is, I think I can be a first-round pick; I think I can be a professional basketball player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donte-divincenzo/my-confidence-level-is-i-think-i-can-be-a-first-round-pick-i-think-i/) [Donte DiVincenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donte-divincenzo/) > [My dad was a professional basketball player, and my mom was a hell of a tennis player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rockhold/my-dad-was-a-professional-basketball-player-and-my-mom-was-a-hell-of/) [Luke Rockhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rockhold/) > [My whole childhood I grew up wanting to be a professional basketball player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-hammon/my-whole-childhood-i-grew-up-wanting-to-be-a-professional-basketball/) [Becky Hammon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-hammon/) > [You can knock me all you want, but professional basketball players are an elite group and I've been doing it 12 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/you-can-knock-me-all-you-want-but-professional-basketball-players-are/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [If I could be anything, it would be a professional basketball player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-palmer/if-i-could-be-anything-it-would-be-a-professional-basketball-player/) [Carson Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-palmer/) > [If I hadn't become a professional basketball player, I would have become a history teacher. There's so much to learn from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/if-i-hadn-t-become-a-professional-basketball-player-i-would-have/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I think when I finally got it in my head that I was going to do the story, I wanted to avoid doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-think-when-i-finally-got-it-in-my-head-that-i-was-going-to-do-the/) [Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/) > [“I wanted to avoid slippage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-wanted-to-avoid-slippage/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [This is what I wanted most to avoid: for my rises and falls to become Tobias's rises and falls. That's why I can't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/this-is-what-i-wanted-most-to-avoid-for-my-rises-and-falls-to-become/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I wanted to avoid, special IO for terminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-wanted-to-avoid-special-io-for-terminals/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-basketball-player-nothing-more-nothing-less/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [There was no professional basketball for me in the United States when I was in grade school and middle school. I could look to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-bird/there-was-no-professional-basketball-for-me-in-the-united-states-when/) [Sue Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-bird/) > [I am focusing on the process of making my dream come true, which is to play professional basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-j-mayo/i-am-focusing-on-the-process-of-making-my-dream-come-true-which-is-to/) [O. J. Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-j-mayo/) ## More by Dirk Nowitzki > [It's fun being around guys that want to work, that want to learn, that want to get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/it-s-fun-being-around-guys-that-want-to-work-that-want-to-learn-that/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I want to see myself as a student. Keep learning, keep improving, keep your eyes and ears open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-want-to-see-myself-as-a-student-keep-learning-keep-improving-keep/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I was never a great screen and roller, obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-was-never-a-great-screen-and-roller-obviously/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I take my sport damned seriously. Basketball is my life. There are other people who go into important games as if they were any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-take-my-sport-damned-seriously-basketball-is-my-life-there-are/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [As a newcomer, I was often expected to carry the bags of the older players, or get them burgers. That can make you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/as-a-newcomer-i-was-often-expected-to-carry-the-bags-of-the-older/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [You know what time it is mav nation. Let's do this. Big game at aac. We bleed blue. See u guys there tonight. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/you-know-what-time-it-is-mav-nation-let-s-do-this-big-game-at-aac-we/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I felt, when I was 20, I wasn't quite ready for the physical contact of 82 games. Mentally, it was tough. I forgot what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-felt-when-i-was-20-i-wasn-t-quite-ready-for-the-physical-contact-of/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. 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I have to keep cooler in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-lost-control-of-myself-a-couple-times-in-the-playoffs-i-have-to/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [Dirk nowitzki is the key to everything in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/dirk-nowitzki-is-the-key-to-everything-in-life/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [The only advice I would give young guys is to keep your ears and eyes open. Never see yourself as a finished product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/the-only-advice-i-would-give-young-guys-is-to-keep-your-ears-and-eyes/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [My whole first season was surreal. My first game was against Detlef Schrempf. There was German media everywhere. 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You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dirk Nowitzki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was-on-the-road-to-becoming-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ball player" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was-on-the-road-to-becoming-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a29/dirk-nowitzki-11188_ball-player_i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was_2210109.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.” — Dirk Nowitzki", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dirk Nowitzki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wanted to avoid service, because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was-on-the-road-to-becoming-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-wanted-to-avoid-service-because-i-was-on-the-road-to-becoming-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```