LThe night Dirk Nowitzki’s number was retired last season, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban vowed to erect the “biggest, toughest statue ever seen” in front of the American Airlines Center to honor the German legend.
“It’s a promise I’m happy to keep, because you earned it,” Cuban told Nowitzki on Christmas morning, minutes before the nearly 24-foot-tall statue was unveiled a few steps down the street renamed a few years ago. like Nowitzki Way.
The white bronze statue is a sculpture of Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged jump shot, the same shot featured as silhouettes near the left block on both ends of the American Airlines Center court.
The shot became known as “The Dirk,” as Nowitzki climbed to sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and has become part of the repertoire of several current players, including the two stars who meet in that court on Sunday afternoon, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks.
Doncic and several other Mavericks players attended the ceremony, as did coach Jason Kidd, Nowitzki’s former teammate.
“One more stop: the Hall of Fame,” Kidd said, referring to Nowitzki’s sure inclusion in the next Hall of Fame class as a first-ballot pick.
One more jewel to the brilliant collection of the sculptor
Artist Omri Amrany created the statue, one of several he made to honor NBA legends including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
Nowitzki, 21 years old in Dallas
The statue is packed with detail, wearing the shoes and uniform Nowitzki wore while leading the Mavericks to the 2010-11 NBA championship, the franchise’s only title.
At the base of the statue reads: “Loyalty never fades away,” a tribute to Nowitzki who spent his entire career in Dallas, setting an NBA record by playing 21 seasons for one franchise.
“It’s 21 letters for my 21 years here,” Nowitzki said.
