Former Mavericks star raves about playing with Dirk Nowitzki

Former Mavericks guard Monta Ellis recently appeared on the "Out the Mud" Podcast with Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, where he was asked about playing with Nowitzki.

"Dirk... man, he's different. I wish I would've had Dirk early on in my career. The things that he was doing, that was incredible. His routine that he had daily, I was like I see why he's like that... Everything, even how he took care of his body. He was never one of those players that really said nothing about it unless he really wanted to say something. Like if you made him mad, if he was frustrated, then he would say something. Other than that, he would just go out there and shoot it. But the work that he put off the court was crazy. The way he handled himself off the court and on the court was mind-blowing. But it also had me thinking that's what a legend is. He earned every bit of it."

Ellis was with Nowitzki on the Mavs from 2013-2015, averaging 19 PPG and 4.9 APG. It had to be a redemption arc for both sides, as Ellis was a key piece on the "We Believe" Warriors team that upset Nowitzki's Mavericks in his MVP season, leading to the infamous moment where Nowitzki was handed the MVP trophy after his team had already been eliminated.