The Dallas Mavericks are a team with little in the way of expectations going into the year. After finishing 11th in the Western Conference at 33-49, the team found little success last season on their season long journey into the draft lottery. However, the addition of rookie Dennis Smith Jr has brought in bit of buzz heading into the season in hopes that he can lead them into a new era of Mavericks basketball.
The other reason to pay attention to the Mavericks is the man that defined the franchise for so long, Dirk Nowitzki. The German-born forward will be entering his 19th season in the NBA after taking yet another pay cut in the offseason to stay in Dallas and possibly make one more run in the NBA playoffs.
Nowitzki has taken less than market value salary since Dallas won it’s only NBA title back in 2011 over the Miami Heat to ensure the franchise could stay competitive and that he wouldn’t have to play for another team. That kind of loyalty is rare now in the NBA, but Nowitzki has been happy to stay in Dallas, even as the Mavs pivot to a rebuilding phase.. On Friday, a fan during the Mavericks open practice took note of Nowitzki’s selflessness when it came to his salary and returned it in kind.
Got this from a fan today at open practice… much appreciated! pic.twitter.com/qpRhwB1vmG
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) September 29, 2017
The fan had given Nowitzki a letter with $20 in it, noting that the future Hall of Famer had been taking less to give the Mavericks a better chance to win. Nowitzki later shared the note and a picture of the $20 bill on his Twitter account, noting how cool he thought the selfless gesture was.
There’s been speculation as to whether this season will be Nowitzki’s last, as Father Time remains undefeated in all things sports. However if this is the season that the Mavericks legend chooses to walk away, his final open practice will have contained a memory that Nowitzki will unlikely be able to forget.
