Hall of Fame The Dallas Mavericks Before Dirk Nowitzki played his final season alongside Luka Doncicthe Mavs’ rookie phenom in 2018-19. In a recent interview with Eurohoops.com, Nowitzki spoke about his first impressions of Doncic, who is now a five-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA scoring champion. He helped the Mavs reach the NBA Finals in June.
THE The move from overseas to the United States went smoothlyaccording to Nowitzki.
“It was a smooth transition for him. I played with him for one year, my last. We didn’t know how good he was. He was the Euroleague MVP, but that meant nothing when he came to the NBA. From the first practice, I knew what he thought about the game,” Nowitzki said, according to Eurohoops.com.
“He plays like a 35-year-old: he has an incredible basketball IQ, I’ve never seen what he sees on the court. He knows how to handle big moments. We talk basketball a lot, but I don’t need to mentor him. He’s an incredible talent and player. It was fun to watch him go to the NBA. The start of something special, we witnessed his greatness.”
For Dirk, the transition from Germany to the United States was not without its bumps. When the Mavericks selected Nowitzki with the seventh overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, he wasn’t sure what to expect in Dallas.
However, things changed when Mark Cuban acquired a majority stake in the Mavs for $285 million.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Dallas,” Nowitzki said, according to Eurohoops.net. “Things changed when Mark Cuban bought the team, we became culinary friends and had a good relationship, he’s always been loyal to me and the city put me under its wing. I was lucky to stay there. This is my new home.”
Dirk Nowitzki Talks New Role as Mavericks ‘Advisor’
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Nowitzki looked Kyrie Irving, Doncic and the Mavs lose 4-1 in their best-of-7 NBA Finals series. In 2021, the Mavs named Dirk in a special advisor role for the team.
“Advisor is a really interesting word, I don’t give a lot of advice,” Nowitzki admitted, according to Eurohoops.com. “There were some changes at the GM position, they asked me if I wanted to be involved. They had good people in place to do a job, J-Kidd is a good friend of mine. We talk basketball all the time, it’s not like I go to the gym every day. Advisor is probably a bit of a strong word.”
Dallas will look to build on its Western Conference championship title in 2024-25.
