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Dirk was honored as the Mavs retired his number.
Dirk Nowitzki's No. 41 will be hung in the rafters of the American Airlines Center. 2 minutes later.
12:14 AM
After watching two videos and listening to three high-profile speakers, Dirk Nowitzki was ready to take his place in the center of the American Airlines Center court for a postgame ceremony.
After being drafted in 1998 and being touched by the reception at the airport, Dirk Nowitzki started his speech with a self-deprecating story, recalling how nervous he was on the flight from Germany to Dallas. He recalled that a large crowd showed up to welcome him, holding signs and cheering for him.
Years later, Nowitzki mentioned to a Mavs employee how special that moment was to him.
He turned to me and said those were not fans. "They were sent out there by the Mavs, and they were Mavs employees." They were sent to greet me, but I didn't know the difference. It made a huge difference to me.
During his Hall of Fame career, Nowitzki made a huge impact on Mavs fans by setting an NBA record by spending his entire 21-year career with one franchise, delivering Dallas' lone NBA title in 2011 and earning a long list of accolades. He moved up to sixth on the all-time scoring list with 31,560 points.
The Mavs' win over the Warriors was a good start to the night. The main event was the ceremony to honor Nowitzki, as the sellout crowd of 20,441 remained in their seats, greeting him with "MVP!" chants as he walked to the middle of the floor.
Mark Cuban, the governor of the Mavericks, unveiled a model of the statue that will be outside the arena.
Cuban said he wanted everyone to see Dirk's greatness. Your name is on the court. Even though you didn't want it to happen, your silhouette is on the floor. We put your numbers up in the rafters so that future Mavs fans and future players will always know you're great.
I want everyone to see more of you, Dirk, because I made you a promise. I'm going to keep my word.
The model of the statue was covered by a black cloth, but Cuban removed it. The crowd roared its approval.
He thanked a lot of people in his 20-minute speech. The German player expressed gratitude to all three of his head coaches, saying they helped him on his way to becoming an all-time great. He thanked his teammates, particularly Michael Finley and Steve Nash, who provided guidance when he was homesick. He mentioned several people behind the scenes, such as team security, public relations employees, equipment managers and so on. He thanked his family for their support.
"I always tell you to find your passion in life and work hard, because I know you will," he said. Great things can happen.
Holger Geschwindner, who has been a mentor to Nowitzki since he was a teenager, was included in his family. When they first met, he thought Geschwindner was a weird person, but he came to appreciate his unconventional training methods, such as doing leapfrogs across the court or dribbling while listening to saxophone music.
"I know you don't like the spotlight," said Nowitzki. "You're a shy and modest guy, but this is about you as much as it is about me."
The ceremony honored the 2010-11 championship team. More than half the players from the roster attended the ceremony, seated in chairs set up about 20 feet from the lectern, across the court from the 41 members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra who played music.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Cuban were both keynote speakers, as was Mavericks head coach, and point guard on that team, Jason Kidd. Kidd praised Nowitzki for changing the game and setting the standard for what it means to work and win.
Kidd said that they were giving out 10-days. "Do you want to come back?"
