Cade Cunningham didn’t need a long speech to explain what Dirk Nowitzki meant to him. He just spoke like a kid from the Dallas–Fort Worth area who grew up watching one guy make the whole metroplex feel taller.
“Dirk you already know, you was the man. My city, man. Appreciate everything you did for us…I’m glad you enjoy my game,” Cunningham said, addressing Nowitzki in a postgame moment that quickly made the rounds online.
Cade Cunningham to Dirk:
“Dirk you already know, you was the man. My city, man. Appreciate everything you did for us…I’m glad you enjoy my game.” ✊🫡
(via @NBAonPrime, h/t @NationMffl)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 7, 2026
What makes it land is how unforced it is. Cunningham is from Arlington, Texas, and Nowitzki wasn’t just a great player there; he was the face of the Mavericks for two decades and the rare superstar who made a whole region feel like it had basketball royalty. Cunningham’s message reads like a thank-you note to a hometown icon, but also like a subtle handshake between eras: the kid who watched Dirk, now hearing that Dirk has been watching him.
In today’s NBA, “respect” can feel like a brand or a soundbite. This didn’t. It sounded like the real thing, a young star acknowledging that before his own game became something people study, there was a reason he believed this path was possible in the first place.
