Dirk Nowitzki’s Living Legacy Continues to Shine as Career Closes

As Dirk Nowitzki decides to return for a 20th season, his legacy for the Dallas Mavericks shines brighter than ever.

Every once in a while, greatness shines through certain individuals.

They have the ability to go above and beyond mediocrity and place their names alongside the best. To the city of Dallas and the Mavericks organization, Dirk Nowitzki is a living testament that anything is possible.

It’s hard to imagine that Dirk has played for 19 seasons. It’s even harder to imagine that he has been dedicated to just one team his whole career. Thoughts of dressing in another team’s jersey never seemed to cross his mind. Loyalty has always been a staple to his success.

Dirk has revolutionized the game in his own way. From his patented one-legged fade away to his German “3 finger salute,” Dirk makes teams change their game plans. He’s tall enough to play by the goal and post for an easy bucket. He’s dangerous enough to make you pay on the perimeter. There just isn’t a true strategy of how to defend the guy.

I remember getting the news that the Mavericks had won the NBA Championship. I was on a plane ride home from a visit in California. Wearing my Texas Rangers (Go Rangers!) fitted cap, the week there was interesting with a barrage of Miami Heat fans offering their opinion of Dirk and the team.

I remember when Game 6 was live in Miami. The pilot and plane crew were all residents in Dallas. We are 40,000 ft in the air. All the passengers were eager to know what was going on.

Suddenly, the pilot got on the intercom and notified us with updates after each quarter, all the way down to the inevitable excitement of landing in the championship city: home.

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Most sports fans can relive the day when they found out their favorite player was walking away for good. When Jerry Rice left the NFL, I felt sick. When Michael Jordan finally decided to quit after the Wizards stint, reality struck. Father Time is undefeated, and watching Dirk for 19 seasons makes one realize the truth.

When it’s all said and done and the jersey is raised in the rafters, I hope we all can take a chance to appreciate just what Dirk did before our eyes. Bringing a championship to a city is one thing, but leaving a legacy defines you. Dirk has solidified that which will be forever stitched into Dallas Maverick history.

We won’t see him play many more games, so we should cherish these moments. Dirk will leave a legacy for years to come, leaving some big shoes to fill for the next superstar in a Maverick uniform.

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For everything he’s done for the city, thanks Dirk.