Jan 5, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Former Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki speaks to the fans as Nowitzki has his number 41 jersey retired after the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki gives high praise to Paige Bueckers

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:15 PM ET

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki attended a Dallas basketball game on Monday night, as he stopped by to see first-overall pick Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings take on the Seattle Storm. He hasn't been around too much since the Mavs traded away Luka Doncic and disrespected him on the way out. Nowitzki also apparently wasn't pleased with how the team handled beloved athletic trainer Casey Smith, who just won an award with the New York Knicks.

ESPN interviewed Nowitzki while he was at the game, and he seems excited for the city to have another young star to root for.

"It's going to take a while to, obviously, get used to the physicality in the WNBA, but I think [Bueckers has] got the talent. She's going to be amazing for us," the former forward said. "She's just going to get better from game to game, from season to season. You already can see now she's gotten more comfortable out there from game one. She's going to be tremendous for this organization for a long time."

"I think [Paige Bueckers has] got the talent. She's gonna be amazing for us."

Dirk Nowitzki says Paige is going to be "tremendous" for the Dallas Wings pic.twitter.com/r9bTC069ZR
— ESPN (@espn) May 20, 2025

It's still refreshing to hear Nowitzki refer to the city of Dallas as "us" after how disappointed he's been in the Mavericks. He was one of the many people who were shocked that they decided to trade Doncic, a player his career overlapped with in Nowitzki's final season and helped mentor.

Victor Wembanyama was also in attendance for this game, making the trip up from San Antonio. Seattle drafted Dominique Malonga from France second overall in the most recent draft, so Wembanyama showed up to support another French phenom.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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