In Dirk, we see what’s possible in life. We learn that, if you work hard, you can change your story.
DALLAS — An earlier version of this story ran on April 10, 2019, as Dirk Nowitzki was gearing up to play the final game of his superb NBA career. You can read that original essay here.
A full 21 NBA seasons.
More than 1,500 games.
And more than 31,000 points scored across that stretch.
It’s all led up to this, the weekend when Dirk Nowitzki will become forever enshrined in basketball lore and be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
I’ve been on this bumpy ride with him since day one, for nearly half my life. No, I don’t know Dirk personally — but, like a lot of fans around here, I feel a deeply personal connection to him.
I feel like I’ve grown up with him.
I’ve struggled, cried and celebrated right alongside him.
I get emotional just writing these words, frankly. Because it’s nearly impossible to sum up just what he means to me.
He’s given me hope and joy when my world was crumbling around me.
He’s showed me that you can accomplish anything with hard work and dedication.
The day we traded for him in the draft, a lot of fans were skeptical. But me? Having been a Mavs fan during a brutal run throughout the ’90s? I welcomed any glimmer of hope for a better future.
I saw him struggle as a scrawny kid through his rookie year. But, as he kept working to improve his game, I kept believing in him.
Every year, he got better.
His work ethic was inspiring to see.
Watching him play night in and night out was something else. Every time he stepped on that court, he left it all out there.
When he lost, he worked harder.
When he won, he still found areas in his game to improve.
Somewhere along the way, I became more of a Dirk fan than a Mavs fan.
In the summer of 2010, when Dirk’s contract was up, I came to terms with the idea of him leaving.
The guy gave his heart and soul to us, the Mavs fans. All I wanted was for him to win a championship. If that was on some other team, then so be it.
But Dirk signed again with Dallas — even with no guarantee of a championship — because he couldn’t see himself playing anywhere else.
That’s the definition of loyalty.
Every Dirk milestone is a memory. With each one, I can remember exactly where I was, who I was with and how it felt.
In 2001, our playoff drought was broken, and Dirk and the Mavs put on an amazing comeback to win Game 5 against the Jazz. I can still feel myself jumping up and down, can still see in my mind’s eye the high fives I gave out.
Thinking back to Dirk flourishing while playing “Nelly ball” as part of the “Big 3″ will always get me amped.
Remember that time he scored 53 points in an epic battle with Tracy McGrady? It was like watching a video game of nonstop scoring.
Then there’s another one of my favorite moments: Dirk’s “and-1” over Manu Ginobili in Game 7 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals. I still have a picture of that moment framed on my living room wall.
In that moment, Dirk helped us overcome the Spurs, finally, and we all were witnesses to one of the greatest NBA series ever played. I cried tears of joy, celebrating in my tiny Waco apartment that night. I called my parents and my brothers, yelling about the unbelievable game I had just watched.
Of course, I’d prefer to skip over the dreaded 2006 Finals that followed, but it’s too important to his story to leave. That was a tough one, I’ll admit. It was painful to be so close to a title only to have it all fall apart. It was devastating seeing Dirk walk off the court after the series ended in Game 6 after four straight losses to the Miami Heat. I was upset as a fan in that moment, sure. But I was more sad for Dirk. This player I’d watched grow into one of the best in the league was so close to everything he had worked for, only to fall short of his ultimate goal.
Things got worse in the wake of that loss, too. Critics called him soft. The national media were… well, let’s just say they were not fans. They said he could never lead a team to a championship. After years of disappointing early playoff exits, they all questioned his leadership.
