DALLAS (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki stood with his son Max, both ready to pull the lever that will open the statue of the retired Dallas Mavericks star outside the team’s arena.
It was already revealed that the statue featured Nowitzki’s signature one-legged jumper. Not that there was ever any question.
“That jump shot was just going up into the sky, creating all kinds of rain,” said Los Angeles Lakers coach Darwin Hamm, whose team played the Mavericks in the Christmas Day game that followed Nowitzki’s ceremony Sunday.
Nowitzki has a street named after him not far from the American Airlines Center, where his jersey is placed in the rafters. And now the nearly 24-foot statue in the plaza south of the arena, unveiled on a cold but sunny morning.
“It was emotional,” said Nowitzki, the only NBA player to play all 21 seasons with the same franchise. “When it came up, I thought the sun was perfect today, just shining on him.”
The biggest of those many moments celebrating Nowitzki’s career came on the 11th anniversary of the Mavericks’ only Christmas home game.
Nowitzki was the face of the franchise at the time, opening the club’s only NBA title defense in the lockout-delayed 2011-12 season.
A new face, 23-year-old star guard Luka Doncic, watched the ceremony with several teammates and coach Jason Kidd behind Nowitzki.
On the 2011 title team, Nowitzki’s guard had to make at least one joke about his former teammate, choosing to mock the defense of the NBA’s foreign-born leading scorer.
“They made the right move,” Kidd told reporters later. “I don’t think they were going to use the slide (on defense) or pass the ball. See his passing stats? He was a ball hog.”
Sculptor Omri Amrani created statues of other retired NBA stars in Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal. He worked primarily with Nowitzki’s mentor, Holder Geschwindner, who designed the 7-foot German’s one-footer.
Nowitzki’s family came from Germany along with the Gerschwinds, and the 44-year-old couldn’t say enough how much it meant to have his mom and dad at the ceremony.
It came four days after Nowitzki was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame along with Gregg Popovich, coach of Texas rival San Antonio, retired Spurs guard Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade, who beat Nowitzki in the 2006 NBA Finals with Miami before losing to lebron james in 2011
Nowitzki’s title came the year James and Chris Bosh joined Wade and the Heat, who went on to win the next two multiple championships. Nowitzki stayed in Dallas for a few lean years, mostly because he had what he wanted most.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have to do it and it worked out this way,” Nowitzki said. “When we won the championship, I knew I wanted to be here and finish my career here.”
Nowitzki is sixth on the career scoring list with 31,560 points and leads the Mavericks in all offensive categories. He is an advisor to owner Mark Cuban and spends most of his time in Dallas with his wife Jessica and three children.
As the three-year statue project dragged on, Nowitzki pondered a theme that would accompany the base. When it came time to decide, he said he felt lucky to pick something with 21 letters, matching his 21 seasons with the Mavericks.
“Loyalty never fails.”
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