Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dirk Nowitzki’s Unforgettable And Emotional Jersey Retirement Night

When Dirk Nowitzki joined the NBA, numerous players and coaches alike didn’t believe Nowitzki would even last in the league, let alone break all kinds of records for a big man. But he has done that, and continued to prove the doubters wrong throughout his glamorous career. Nowitzki not only changed the game for international players, but changed the game forever overall. Unfortunately, his impact and influence throughout the NBA is still not quite comprehended by the casual fan after all these years.

You see, young NBA fans growing up now will see the likes of Karl Anthony Town, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid knocking down threes form the outside, but what they don’t realize is Nowitzki paved the way for every shot making big man that can step away from the basket and be a deadly weapon. Nowitzki didn’t just create the true definition of a “stretch 4 and stretch 5” he revolutionized those positions forever. Previously, players were drafted out of college into the NBA purely on their size and ability to rebound the ball and possibly block shots. Now, NBA scouts are asking “Can he step away from the basket? Can he pick-and-pop? Can he handle the ball? Can he score? What’s his range?” All these questions are now relevant, because Nowitzki has dominated and scored the basketball in ways in which we’ve never seen big men put the ball in the basket for such a long period of time.

If that wasn’t enough, Nowitzki also invented his signature shot which is now an NBA norm – the one legged fade away jumper. The likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have all added his shot to their arsenal, as Nowitzki made a living of torching opponents with it. What was once thought of as a bad and unbalanced shot, Nowitzki perfected and made it his go to move, which has still proven to be unstoppable even to this day.

More so, Nowitzki managed to set all these records and new parameters for big men while only playing for one sole team.

Loyalty is a dying art in the world of sports. Players like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki were the last breed of NBA stars to never “jump ship” and leave when their team is not performing up to par. The ability to remain apart of a losing team is something only the best can do; not particularly skill wise, but mentally. Players often move around the league for two reasons; to contend for a championship or for the green paper that the world revolves around.

His loyalty to the Dallas Mavericks also are the reason why last night, Dirk received one of the most beautiful jersey retirements ever.

When the franchise’s GOAT’s No.41 jersey was put up into the rafters, the game against the best team this season only was a mere footnote in the story, as the stage belonged to Dirk Nowitzki, and Dirk Nowitzki only.

Aside from Jason Kidd, Mark Cuban and Adam Silver, many players from Dallas’ 2011 championship team were present just like plenty of his former other teammates and competitors. Overall, it was an emotional, fitting, and deserving tribute to Dirk.