Mavericks immortalize Dirk’s number 41
The Dallas Mavericks paid the highest tribute that any of their players can aspire to, the retirement of their number, to the greatest player in their history and one of the greatest of all time in an area internationally recognized for its sport, Dallas-Fort Worth.
“Dirk is at or perhaps above legendary legends of this city,” considered former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, an NFL Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl winner. “An example to follow inside and outside the sport in all aspects.”
Nowitzki’s franchise records are just about every record any basketball player can aspire to and some that many don’t even know exist. But the most important, he was the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 Finals; the only ones that have crowned the Mavericks in their history.
Nowitzki played all 21 seasons of his NBA career with Dallas, where he arrived at the age of 17. He retired after the 2018-19 season with 1,522 regular-season games played, 20.7 average points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
He was named a 14-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA, as well as part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary All-NBA Dream Team, of which he was the Most Valuable Player in the 2006-07 season.
“It was a wonderful journey that I never thought I would get this far when I was drafted in the June 1998 Draft,” Nowitzki said. “It was so many gyms, so many arenas. Whenever we’d get to some city we’d see all these tributes, these retired numbers and hear anecdotes about the ones that had played there, the ones that had retired….”
“Now mine is one of them. I came in young and got old,” he joked.
It was a magical night, which began with the Mavericks’ improbable 99-82 win over the Golden State Warriors, and was filled throughout the night with memories of Nowitzki’s career and plenty of anecdotes from his former teammates.
“Dirk was the best and most humble of teammates,” said former Puerto Rican Mavericks player Jose Jua Barea, who was a teammate for most of his career and was in the arena for the tribute. “He was always my favorite teammate. Super fun always. He made us all better.”
It was an emotional night as Nowitzki relived the glory days of the Mavericks even in the sentiments of new players and figures like Luka Doncic.
“I have a long way to go,” Doncic said in a videotaped message. “It’s impossible to think that one day I’ll be able to reach his heights.”
Nowitzki thanked everyone in the Mavericks organization, from owner Mark Cuban to former coach Don Nelson, who was his first coach in Dallas. He also thanked the nearly 200 teammates he had during his time with the franchise, especially the 2011 champions.
“Without you guys I would have always been missing something,” Nowitzki said. “We had the time of our lives. It was something that will bond us forever.”
And of course, he thanked Holger Geschwindner, his lifelong coach, who took him from a boy basketball fan to the best player the Mavericks have ever had and, for many, the best foreigner to ever step on NBA courts.
“No one has ever played 21 years on the same team,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who was at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on Wednesday. “An icon of the league and an example for international players. You changed the way international players came and played in the League. You opened the doors of the world for the NBA.”
Cuban unveiled the mock-up of what will be Nowitzki’s statue in the arena, in which he said they will also stamp the German’s name on the court so that all players who wear the Mavericks jersey will be aware of the benchmark he set.
Nowitzki’s guests included former NBA players Tony Parker, former Cowboys Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Tony Romo and Emmitt Smith, as well as former Ranger Michael Young.
“But I especially want to thank all the fans who supported me even in the worst times and in the worst defeats,” said the 43-year-old former German player Dirk Nowitzki.
