Mavericks to unveil statue for Dirk Nowitzki before Christmas Day game vs. Lakers

When the Dallas Mavericks host the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day they’ll have more than just the holiday to celebrate. The team announced Friday that they’ll be unveiling Dirk Nowitzki’s statue before they take on the Lakers on Christmas. The ceremony will take place outside of American Airlines Center at 11 a.m. CT., where fans who arrive early for the game will be able to watch the unveiling on a jumbotron inside the arena. 

“Dirk has done so much for the game and for our city,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said in a team press release. “And to show our appreciation, we want to ensure his legacy and his jump shot will forever be remembered in Dallas.”

The Mavericks unveiled a model of the statue during Nowitzki’s jersey retirement ceremony last season. The model shows Nowitzki pulling off his patented one-legged fadeaway jumper that has become synonymous with his game and duplicated many times over by other stars in the league today.

It’s a fitting statue for a player who helped revolutionize the power forward position in the NBA. Nowitzki’s ability to space the floor out to the 3-point line with his shooting was ahead of its time when he was in the league. That style of play has since become normalized in today’s era where it’s not uncommon to see big men spot up from the 3-point line. 

Over Nowitzki’s 21-year career, he led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011, won a league MVP, was a 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection and finished with the sixth-most points scored in NBA history. His 21 seasons with the Mavericks is also the record for the most seasons a player has spent with one team in the NBA. He’s got a street named after him near the Mavericks arena, his jersey hangs in the rafters and now he’ll have his own statue outside of it. The only thing left is for him to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame, where he’ll surely be a first-ballot lock when he becomes eligible in 2023.