Dirk Nowitzki made a name for himself during his 21-year NBA career as the preeminent star of the Dallas Mavericks.
Nowitzki was a 14-time All-Star and the 2007 Most Valuable Player with the Mavericks and led them to the 2011 NBA championship. His loyalty was rewarded with a white bronze statue outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Nowitzki, who inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023, has also displayed the same level of loyalty to former teammate Luka Dončić. The stars played together for one year in Dallas – Nowitzki’s final season in the NBA and Dončić’s first.
Dončić was in his seventh season as a featured member of the Mavericks’ roster before the organization decided to trade away the international superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers in a transaction that featured Anthony Davis.
The crowd inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles showed their support for Dončić when he made his official debut with the Lakers in a 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 10. Among those fans in the crowd were Dončić’s family and Nowitzki.
“We texted a bit, and I felt a little disappointed and sad for him,” Nowitzki said on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas-Fort Worth. “… He invited me out to his first game in LA. I felt like I had to support him.
Nowitzki and Dončić have become close following their one shared season and the German legend’s retirement, and Nowitzki has served as a mentor to the Slovenian.
Nowitzki shared on social media in the hours leading up to Dončić’s debut that he was planning to be in attendance for the game.
“I will always be a Mav for life,” Nowitzki said at the beginning of the tweet.
While Nowitzki’s loyalty was never really questioned, his appearance at the Lakers game still served as odd timing for some Dallas fans, who were not pleased with the organization’s decision to trade their superstar away.
Several fans expressed their displeasure with the team by speaking out near Nowitzki’s statue in Dallas.
Even Nowitzki himself admitted that being at the Lakers game was a bit awkward for him.
“He’s a good kid so I felt like I had to support him with this new chapter,” Nowitzki said. “I wanted to be there for him and his family and show support but you guys saw my face. It was weird and it was surreal to see him play for the Lakers.
“At the end of the day, I will never be a Lakers fan but I will always be a Luka fan.”
Nowitzki said he was on vacation in the Maldives when he heard about the trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers.
“I was as shocked and surprised as everybody was,” Nowitzki said. “I just spent the next hour following everything on social media.”
