Legendary group of Mavericks set to attend Dirk Nowitzki's Hall of Fame enshrinement
By Will Miller
Dirk Nowitzki will be relieved to finally cap off his post-retirement activities as he's set to be indoctrinated into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this coming Saturday, August 12. But per usual, he won't be lacking his fair share of support from the audience as he adds the Hall of Fame to his list of recognition ceremonies.
Despite Nowitzki's long-standing humble and reluctant mindset regarding accepting individual accolades and awards, he will have a slew of former Mavericks teammates accompanying him in Springfield, Massachusetts, this Saturday.
Legendary group of Mavericks set to attend Dirk Nowitzki's Hall of Fame enshrinement
According to Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News, former Mavericks teammate and current Mavericks assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley will be in attendance along with Nowitzki's fellow long-time teammates Devin Harris and Steve Nash.
Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd spearheads the list of fellow 2011 NBA champion teammates set to attend Nowitzki's induction ceremony on Saturday. He'll be joined by the likes of Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Brian Cardinal, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, and Caron Butler.
In an interview with NBA.com reporter Steve Aschburner, Nowitzki forecasted his excitement in regards to having all his former teammates and family in attendance for the ceremony.
"Really what you’re doing, you’re reflecting on the whole journey. Who’s meant the most, who’s done what. I’ve actually found it cool to sit down in the evening after everyone’s in bed and I sit here for an hour and think about that stuff. There will be a little nervousness. But I’m also going to enjoy standing up there and looking out at this amazing crowd of family and friends and great athletes. I’m going to try to enjoy it as much as I can."
- Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki's storybook career has certainly drawn everyone in the NBA sphere to respect and revere what he was able to accomplish in his 21 seasons in Dallas, but not many people understand the pitfall of despair from failed playoff ventures to ultimate triumph in 2011 than fellow Hall of Fame inductees Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.
Nash and Kidd are set to be the main presenters for Nowitzki at his Hall of Fame ceremony this Saturday. Having both furbished Hall of Fame careers by themselves despite falling short of ever winning a championship as the best players on their team, they know all too well the difficulty of which Dirk encountered throughout his career to reach the ultimate goal.