Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most likable superstars in the history of the game, his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks is remembered with more fondness and love than perhaps any other superstar in the league. Nowitzki won just one championship with the Mavs in 2011, but his continued brilliance throughout his career helped the franchise build a winning culture that they are reaping the benefits of even today.
And while a lot of history’s best players are incredibly intense, Michael Jordan being the primary example as someone who’s known to have punched his teammates, Nowitzki was quite the opposite. His former teammates have nothing but praises for Dirk, he seems to have annoyed quite a few with his wholesome antics. Nick Van Exel, who spent some time with the Mavs once told a story that explains perfectly the kind of teammate that Nowitzki was (via Bleacher Report).
“He just always used to sing. You were checking into hotels and you see your red light’s beeping and you think you got a message from somebody. Next thing you know, you pick it up and check the messages, it’s his dumb a** singing on your message with his guitar, some crazy stuff, but that was just him. He was just lighthearted, man. Liked to have fun, man, and treated everybody the same.”
Nowitzki is one of the greatest scorers ever, someone that changed the game with his incredible shooting as a big man, so the fact that he was also a goofball off the court while being an assassin on it somehow makes him even easier to like than he already is.
The pressure at the highest level is immense, and being to take the time off to relax and build a happy culture within an organization is a skill not many players can claim to have. While there is no right way to become one of the greatest players ever, Nowitzki’s unique approach definitely makes him a on-of-a-kind superstar in the NBA’s long history.
