Several hundred onlookers filled the American Airlines Center’s South Plaza on a chilly Christmas morning to watch the unveiling of a statue of Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest Dallas Maverick ever.
To no surprise, the white bronze statue is that of Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged fadeaway jumper, the shot coined “The Dirk” as the German power forward climbed to sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
When Nowitzki announced his retirement on April 9, 2019, the Mavericks legend was promised “the biggest, most badass statue ever” would be erected in his honor.
At the “All Four One” ceremony that preceded the Mavericks’ 124-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the product of that promise was unveiled.
The nearly 24-foot tall and more than 9,000-pound statue is just the latest honor bestowed onto Nowitzki by the franchise with whom he played his entire 21-year career.
He had his jersey retired by the Mavericks last January, and the street that his statue faces was renamed Nowitzki Way in the fall of 2019.
Nowitzki, 44, teared up at a video of Chicago-area master sculptor Omri Amrany explaining the more than two-year process he took to complete the work.
Amrany, who has completed several statues to honor NBA legends, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Wilt Chamberlain, predicted the monument to Nowitzki would stand for 500 years.
The statue is rich with details, using the uniform and Nike shoes that Nowitzki wore while leading the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship, the franchise’s only title.
Most meaningful to Nowitzki was that his parents, Jorg and Helga, and sister, Silke, made the trip from Germany and sat in the front row next to Nowitzki’s wife, Jessica, and their three children, Malaika, Max, and Morris.
“I think what makes this so special is we have three generations of Nowitzkis here, and this thing will be here long after we are gone and other generations [can] come here and be proud,” Nowitzki said.
“Maybe Google is already [gone] by that point, but people will look it up. ‘Who is this guy? What did this guy do?’” he continued. “I think that’s what’s so cool about a sculpture like this, that it lives for eternity.”
Nowitzki spending his entire 21-season career as a Maverick remains an NBA record for most seasons playing on only one team.
He spoke about how that fact came to his mind when he chose the 21-letter motto “Loyalty never fades away” to be inscribed on the base of the statue beneath his name.
“I just sat down and thought, ‘What do people associate with you here in Dallas?’” Nowitzki said. “It was these two things. It was the fadeaway and the loyalty. We kind of combined that. It was just a fun fact that it was 21 letters for the 21 years.”
Luka Doncic and several other current Mavericks attended the ceremony, as did Dallas coach Jason Kidd, a former teammate of Nowitzki’s. Kidd helped Nowitzki in the 2011 championship run, capturing both players’ first title.
“One more stop: the Hall of Fame,” Kidd said, referring to Nowitzki’s certain induction in the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class as a first-ballot selection.
More praise was heaped in Nowitzki’s direction by the Lakers’ LeBron James, a fellow sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer who came up short to Dirk and the Mavericks as a member of the Miami Heat in the 2011 championship.
“It had to be a fadeaway one-legger,” James said of Nowitzki’s statue after the Lakers’ Christmas Day loss to Dallas. “It had to be — no question about it. Dirk is a legend. He’s an icon. I think he’s the greatest international player ever. I put him right there with Manu [Ginóbili]. But what he brought here, what he brought to this city. That boy was cold, man. Dirk was cold.”
