Happy Dirk Jersey Retirement week!
The Mavericks play the Warriors on Wednesday night in a national TV showdown of some of the NBA’s most recognizable stars, but that will serve as more a prelude than a main feature for most in attendance.
After the game, the Mavericks will officially retire Dirk Nowitzki’s No. 41 jersey, the first of several celebrations the organization is planning to honor their legendary former star over the next few seasons.
Nowitzki retired in April 2019 after 21 seasons, a record for any player with a single franchise, and most of the Mavericks teammates he played with during his Hall of Fame-worthy run have finished their careers, too.
One championship-winning running mate — Jason Kidd — even coaches the Mavericks now.
But eight Mavericks on the current roster overlapped with Nowitzki’s last few seasons in Dallas, and they’re eager to watch his jersey enter the rafters on Wednesday.
Here’s what several of them said when asked about their favorite memory from playing with Nowitzki.
Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Luka Doncic
Dirk overlap: 2018-19 season
Our defense was terrible when we played together. But every time I passed him the ball, I knew I was going to get an assist because he couldn’t miss, so, it goes both ways.
Jalen Brunson
Dirk overlap: 2018-19 season
I used to just watch him, admire his game and all that stuff, and I thought he was just a great guy and hard worker. And then I finally met him. He’s definitely a hard worker. He’s a great dude, but he’s one that loves to just joke around, have fun. When it’s time to joke around, he just loves interacting with his teammates. He’s never serious, cracks jokes. You would think that he’s this really nice guy who’s always very serious, put together. No. Nope. Not for a bit.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Dirk overlap: 2016-19 seasons
Probably when he scored his 30,000th point. I think that game was crazy. We came out and gave him the ball every possession. It was an amazing experience. Just to be in the locker room with Dirk was really cool for me. To actually meet him and see how funny he is, it was just exciting, and I was blessed to have that opportunity to know Dirk — not even to say I played with him. To actually see him and he says ‘What’s up?’ to me, that means a lot.
Kristaps Porzingis
Dirk overlap: 2019
I loved when pregame he used to run and jump on top of four guys that were sitting down like this [holding his arms out, palms facing up] and they would have to catch him. That was my favorite moment in the locker room that not everybody knows before we walked out.
Maxi Kleber
Dirk overlap: 2017-19 seasons
He’s from the same hometown [Würzburg, Germany], so obviously he was like a childhood idol, and I was looking up to him all the time, and finally meeting him here was a great experience for me overall. I remember the first summer he took me under his wing right away and helped me out, like talked me through the NBA and all that stuff. There was a lot of helpful stuff, and he’s a great teammate.
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard this before, but he’s a super cool and funny guy in the locker room, so I couldn’t just pick one moment, but obviously it was a very special moment to see him at the last home game that he ever played — like the appreciation the city and everybody had for him.
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