Germany's Nowitzki to skip world championships

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki will not play for Germany at next month's world championship in Turkey.

The German basketball federation said Tuesday that the nine-time All-Star would be back for the 2011 European Championship that will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympics in London.

The announcement came shortly after the Mavericks signed the 32-year-old Nowitzki to a new contract, a deal reportedly worth over $80 million for four years.

The 12-year NBA veteran was the league's MVP in 2007. He became the 34th player in league history to reach 20,000 career points on Jan. 13 and ranks 27th among all-time scorers.