Kyrie Irving opened up on the impact of Dirk Nowitzki on the Dallas Mavericks, showering the German legend with praise for all his accomplishments in Dallas.
"For Dallas, he created a culture of championship winning, MVP-like performances, a lot of game-winners, playing with a lot of legends in the league… Although it's just one championship, a lot of franchises can't say they've won it, so that means something in the basketball culture world and the sports world."
Irving referred to himself as a little brother in comparison to Nowitzki, stressing how positively Dirk continues to impact the franchise and players like Luka Doncic.
"The respect I have for him as a peer and a little brother, right? I look at Dirk as someone who I can always go to if I need some resources or advice. Just hearing about the quality human being he is and how much he influences Luka and other guys that have come in through here... The respect and the love that I have for him is unconditional.”
Irving and Nowitzki competed against each other for years, with Irving being drafted into the NBA the summer after the Mavericks 2011 championship. Given how important Dirk is to the Mavericks organization, it's no surprise to see Irving embrace the legend that nobody has bad things to say about.
In his 21-year career with the Mavericks, Nowitzki won one title, one Finals MVP, one regular-season MVP, 14 All-Star appearances, and 12 All-NBA selections. He is easily the greatest player in the history of the Mavericks organization, but his status could be under threat.
Could Luka Doncic Surpass Dirk Nowitzki As The Greatest Maverick Of All Time?
It's no secret that Luka Doncic's career is on the kind of pace that could lead to him being remembered as one of the greatest players of all time if he can have ample championship success.
Mavericks' minority owner Mark Cuban recently discussed the possibility of Luka surpassing Dirk as the greatest Maverick of all time, saying Luka is on-pace to surpass Dirk and that even Nowitzki thinks Luka is a better player than him.
"Yes. No disrespect to Dirk, he knows I love him to death. Dirty and I go way way back, but Dirk will be the first one to tell you that Luka is better."
Luka is in his sixth NBA season and has some staggering individual accomplishments to his name. He's bound to be named to his fifth-consecutive All-NBA First Team at the end of the season, which will lead to him surpassing Nowitzki in First Team selections.
Luka does everything outside of rebounding at a higher volume than Dirk, but Doncic can't be inflated to Dirk's level until he wins a title in Dallas. The city will always appreciate Nowitzki for not only bringing a title but spending 21 seasons with them, the longest single-team run for any player in league history.
It's good to know that Dirk is likely rooting for Doncic to shatter the franchise records he set, as that ensures the Mavericks are progressing in the right direction for the future.
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