THE ongoing relationship between Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki and the The Dallas Mavericks has been clarified a bit by the all-time great. Nowitzki officially has the title of “special advisor,” but he downplayed his duties in a recent interview with Cesare Milanti of EuroHoops.
“Advisor is a really interesting word, I don’t give a lot of advice. There was some changes at the GM position, they asked me if I wanted to be involved. They had some good people in place to do some of the work, J-Kidd is a good friend of mine. We talk about basketball all the time, it’s not like I’m in the gym every day. Advisor is probably a bit of a strong word,” Nowitzki said.
Dirk Nowitzki also spoke on a potential union between Mavericks star Luka Doncic and another superstar, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
“I hope it’s in Dallas,” Nowitzki said. “I don’t know if it ever happens, but obviously they’re two of the best players in the world. They’re the best players in the world now. They have a great relationship, they respect each other and they really like each other. They spend time together. I’m not sure, but of course we want Luka to stay in Dallas as long as possible. I hope he finishes his career there, but I love Jokic’s game, the way he plays with passion, and the skill level as a big guy is unbelievable. They’re both unbelievable players.”
Dirk Nowitzki’s Role, Legacy, and Future with the Dallas Mavericks
It seems relatively common in the NBA for longtime veterans like Dirk Nowitzki to be given special advisory roles. And who can blame front office for wanting to keep their best players on the books or keep those players engaged with the organization?
When the Mavericks signed Luka Doncic, he must have been thrilled to be able to keep Nowitzki at his disposal. Their careers overlapped for a season, but continued mentorship is invaluable.
Nowitzki spoke about how he saw with his own eyes how special Doncic would be immediately.
“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.
Doncic has a long way to go to catch up to Nowitzki’s long legacy and he may get there eventually.
Nowitzki is a 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, MVP and NBA 75th Anniversary Team. And of course, he led the Mavericks to the 2011 World Series.
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