Though they’ve multiplied since his retirement, Dirk Nowitzki still has some issues with the tributes. Since the end of his career, a road was opened in his name in Dallas, then his number 41 was retired by the Mavs, and finally his number 41 was also retired by the German selection.
But all these events are nothing compared to what awaits him on December 25 since it is a huge statue in his effigy that will be inaugurated on the sidelines of the “Christmas NBA Game” between Dallas and the Lakers.
The statue will show him performing his famous step back on one foot. “It was super surreal and a little embarrassing for me”confessed to Mark Cuban’s announcement of this new distinction.
A legend for the Mavericks and a role model for the NBA
Previously, he will be named today as a candidate for a 2023 Hall of Fame induction for his lifetime achievements, including contributions to opening the NBA internationally.
Twenty-five years after its Draft, the championship has evolved enormously in this direction as today we find a Cameroonian, a Slovenian, a Canadian and a Greek among the top four scorers in the championship! From 2004 to 2017 only one “non-American” managed to enter the Top 5: him.
“It’s super fun to watch”, He added on this globalized NBA. “And along the way, if I’ve inspired someone to pick up a basketball or if I’ve motivated a guy to work harder or dream about the NBA, obviously that’s humbling for me, a big lesson. It makes me proud, that’s for sure.”
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dirk Nowitzki is just beginning to realize the extent of the honor his candor affords him.
“It will be there forever. I think what’s most amazing, that this statue will stay there and my children will grow up with it. That’s what’s really breathtaking and exceptional, that this statue really is for eternity and will be there a lot,” long after I’m gone.
