Wednesday night was a reunion of sorts for a team that shocked the world a little over 10 years ago, the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. The group came together to honor its star: Dirk Nowitzki, whose number 41 was retired by the Mavericks three years after he ended his 21-year-career as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, a longtime teammate of Dirk, including on that 2011 championship team, was an emcee of sorts for the ceremony, which welcomed back Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, J.J. Barea, Brian Cardinal, Caron Butler and Ian Mahinmi from the champion Mavs.
But the star of the night was of course Dirk.
J-Kidd started his introductory speech with an honest question for Nowitzki. As this year’s Mavericks team fights through a stretch that has seen Kidd’s squad forced to play shorthanded with 11 players having gone in and out of the league’s health and safety protocols, and currently has them missing their top two big men, he asked Dirk: “We’re giving out 10-day [contracts], you wanna come back?”
Dirk politely declined.
“What a journey, 21 years. Unbelievable. That’s a lot of work,” J-Kidd continued. “You have set the standard for what it means to work and to win. You played the game at the highest level…on behalf of our championship team, we want to say thank you, for being you. You changed the game. Now everybody shoots threes. But the biggest thing is you’ve always been a champion, from day one, and Dallas has watched you grow to become the man you are today. So thank you for approving the trade to bring me back, to fulfill my dream, and that’s to win a championship.”
After a tribute video was player, J-Kidd was followed on the mic by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who unveiled a statue of Dirk to be erected outside of the American Airlines Center.
Cuban then gave way to Dirk, who spoke to the fans in Dallas for nearly 20 minutes before watching his number be raised to the rafters. Watch the entire ceremony below.