It was in the Western Conference pregame preview that the Mavs beat Lakers’ LeBron James 124-115.
the Dallas Mavericks The statue opened more than seven meters from his legend, Dirk Nowitzkioutside the American Airlines Center plaza.
In addition, a street with the German’s name and jersey number already retired on the surface of the Dallas arena.
Before the tribute was unveiled, Nowitzki stood next to his son Max, both ready to push the button that would unveil the statue known for its signature leap backwards with one foot above its head. Novitsky.
“A long-distance shot into the sky causes any kind of rain,” said the Los Angeles Lakers coach. Darvin Hammwhose team faced Dallas on Christmas Day Sunday After Party.
“It was emotional,” said Nowitzki, the only player in NBA history to spend 21 seasons with the same franchise.
The Mavericks beat the Lakers’ LeBron James 124-115. The contribution of James, the outstanding figure in the NBA, with 38 points, was not enough.
The Lakers failed to raise their heads in the contest, as they finished in 13th place. Center among 15 members in its conference, with a negative record of 13 wins and 20 losses.
For his part, former Córdoba guard Facundo Campazzo, who made his Red Star debut in Belgrade, finished eighth with a solid positive statistic of 18 wins and 16 falls.
His top scorer in this match, which was held at the American Airlines Center, in Dallas, was Slovenian goalkeeper Luka Doncic, Campazzo’s former colleague at Real Madrid, with 32 points.
More details about the award
The greatest of the many honors recognizing Nowitzki’s career came on the 11th anniversary of the Mavs’ only other Christmas game.
At the time the German was the face of the franchise and in the 2011-12 season he defended the only title the team has ever won.
The new face of the team, superstar Luka Doncic, 23, watched the ceremony from behind Nowitzki, along with teammates and coach Jason Kidd, who played with Nowitzki.
“I’m happy for him,” said Doncic, who was Nowitzki’s teammate in his rookie year. “He deserves everything that happens to him. The statue looks great,” he added.
Sculptor Omri Amrani has created other statues of retired basketball players such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.
His family traveled from Germany with Holger Geschwindner, Nowitzki’s mentor. The 44-year-old former footballer has reiterated several times how important it is for his mum and dad to be present at the party.
The event came four days after Nowitzki was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, retired Spurs guard Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade, whom Nowitzki beat with Miami in the 2006 Finals before losing to them in 2011.
Source: Agencies.
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