Dirk Nowitzki with his wife Jessica Olsson and the children Malaika, Max and Morris
Those: AP / LM Otero
Dirk Nowitzki receives a glamorous jersey ceremony from the Dallas Mavericks for his outstanding career. Nowitzki himself addresses his wife and children with emotional words in his speech. Tears come to him.
Dirk Nowitzki wiped the tears from his eyes several times. During the memorable video sequences and emotional speeches during his jersey ceremony, the 43-year-old former basketball superstar was overwhelmed by his feelings again and again.
“It was a breathtaking journey. What a special ceremony, ”said Nowitzki, whose shirt with the number 41 was immortalized on Wednesday evening (local time) after an unprecedented career under the roof of the Dallas Mavericks. The number 41 is no longer awarded by the club from Texas, which Nowitzki made NBA champions in 2011.
At the side of Mrs. Jessica and his three children Malaika, Max and Morris, Nowitzki enjoyed the soulful celebration, which was attended by league boss Adam Silver and Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks, as well as numerous players from the former championship team. When it was the turn of the native Würzburg himself, he pulled a cheat sheet out of his pocket and gave a humorous acceptance speech for around 20 minutes.
Dirk Nowitzki stands with his wife and three children in front of the banner that will be hanging under the ceiling in Dallas. During the ceremony, he struggles with his emotions
Quelle: USA TODAY Sports/Jerome Miron
A very special thank you went to his family. “Jess, you are the backbone of our family and you keep the business going. You are the best woman and the best mother. I love you, ”said Nowitzki, who played exclusively for the Mavericks from 1998 to 2019 and has been enjoying his life as a privateer and father for almost three years. He told his own offspring: “Find your passion and work hard. I love you and I am proud of you. “
Everything was dominated by Nowitzki. The professionals around the quasi-successor Luka Doncic wore his jersey before the game, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra provided exactly 41 members for the ceremony. “It means everything to me and to this club. He deserves it, ”said Doncic, who played with the club legend for another year. Nowitzki is the fourth player, after Derek Harper (number 12), Brad Davis (15) and Rolando Blackman (22), whose jersey hangs under the roof. “It is an honor to share this with you,” Nowitzki pointed out to the trio.
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Following the game against the Golden State Warriors (99:82), the announced ceremony at the American Airlines Center in Dallas began. Nowitzki wanted to be surprised what was in store for him. Silver said right at the beginning that he had never seen a ceremony like this. “Dirk, they love you not only here in Dallas, but all over the world. 21 years with a team, and you brought this team a championship, ”said the head of the NBA.
Both sides had to wait a long time for mutual success. It was only after more than ten years of constant failure that Nowitzki’s greatest sporting dream came true. In June 2011, the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, in the final series 4-2 and won the club’s first title. Nowitzki was voted the most valuable player in the endgame round. To date, it is the last playoff series that Dallas could win.
In the 2006/07 season, Nowitzki was the first European to be awarded the title of Most Valuable Regular Season Player (MVP). Overall, the power forward scored 31,560 points for his club with the inimitable jump shot. Just seven players have scored over 30,000 points in the 75-year history of the NBA. “The fact that the jersey is pulled up is absolutely deserved, and I’m really happy about that. Anyone who has anything to do with basketball knows who Dirk is. He’s one of the best of all time, ”emphasized Maximilian Kleber, Dallas’ German professional.
Jason Kidd, formerly Nowitzki’s team-mate and now coach of the Mavericks, spoke on behalf of the team that won the first and only title in the club’s history ten and a half years ago. “What a trip. An incredible journey. You set standards for what it means to win and work. On behalf of the championship team, I would like to say “thank you”: simply for being you. You have always been a champion, ”emphasized Kidd, who put on a green Nowitzki jersey after finishing his work as a coach. He had previously asked his former team-mate rhetorically: “We’re giving you a ten-day contract, do you want to come back?”
It was an entertaining celebration at which those responsible let Nowitzki reminisce again. The 2.13 meter tall giant told the anecdote how he was euphorically received by hundreds of people at the airport in Dallas in 1998.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, released a miniature version of the statue that will soon be in front of the Dallas arena
Quelle: USA TODAY Sports/Jerome Miron
“A few years later I found out that they weren’t fans, but rather employees of the club who were sent out,” said Nowitzki, who will soon receive a statue as well as a street named after him and the jersey honor.
Club boss Cuban has already revealed it in miniature form – and announced: “It will be in front of the arena – and the next arena and the arena after it. And it will be big. “
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