Dirk Nowitzki is one of the rare German athletes known around the world.

Now a documentary is tracing the career of the 36 year-old basketball star. But it is not all about sports. “Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot” covers the story of Nowitzki’s rise to fame.

The star had to be convinced to make the film. He explained to reporters at the film’s world premier in Cologne that public outings are still not easy for the superstar.

“It was a bit weird, for the first couple of minutes. But I think we did okay. And they were always a bit in the background. They were not directly in my face but in the background. They made themselves quite rare,” he said.

The movie shows Nowitzki evolving from a skinny tall kid to an international star in the world of professional Basketball.

Dirk’s sister, Silke, was apprehensive but liked the film when she saw it: “I did see the film. Probably so far the only one in the family. But everyone was excited and wanted to interrogate me. I really like it, the mood has been very well captured. I was a bit afraid that it was going to be just another Hollywood film, but it is not. It is full of humour, very authentic.”

The film puts the focus on the father-son relationship between Nowitzki and Holger Geschwindner, his former coach and mentor. He recognised the talent of the teenage boy and transformed him into a scoring machine with a daring mix of scientific and original methods, such as letting him dribble to the sound of a jazz saxophone.

The movie is out in Germany now.