A Street Named 'Nowitzki': Mavs Dirk and Carlisle's Best Quips at Ceremony
DALLAS - The City of Dallas has officially renamed a portion of Olive Street downtown as "Nowitzki Way,'' and at the Wednesday ceremony inside and outside the AAC, honoree Dirk was typically self-effacing, saying there was a time when "the city probably wouldn’t have named a dumpster after me, let alone a street."
The Mavs legend deserves this and much more for his service to the franchise, to North Texas and to the sport of basketball. He held court on stage for a time before going outside to jump aboard the cherry-picker as the sign went up. He joked on Twitter about the spelling accuracy ....
... and he talked about exchanging emotions with DFW.
"There’s a lot of love I’ve received from this community, whether it’s from the Mavericks or fan base when things weren’t going well,'' he said. "After my first year, the city probably wouldn’t have named a dumpster after me, let alone a street."
The just-retired superstar, 41, played 21 seasons, all with Dallas, amassing incredible numbers, including the 31,560 points that have him ranked sixth on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Dallas dignitaries were everywhere, of course, as was owner Mark Cuban, ditching his usual T-shirt-and-jeans uniform for a suit. But an even more notable suit-wearer was coach Rick Carlisle, who pulled out of the back of a closet the outfit he wore on June 12, 2011, the night the Mavs won the NBA title. It's never been laundered, so it remains soaked in champagne and memories.
“I always knew,'' Rick said, "there would be an appropriate day to wear it again.”
