Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki reveals lessons learned from Lakers legend

There's a chance Dirk Nowitzki wouldn't have become the player he was without this.

Dec 25, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Former Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki waves to the crowd during the ceremony for the unveiling of a statue in his honor at before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers American Airlines Center . Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When Dirk Nowitzki was first traded for during the 1998 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, no one quite knew the player he would become. There's always optimism, but no one expected Nowitzki to become one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, putting up over 30,000 points.

In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Nowitzki was asked if he had any advice for star rookie Cooper Flagg. He said to watch and learn around him, especially with so many veterans lika Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson. And then, Nowitzki revealed the veteran who helped him.

“I had a guy called A.C. Green," Nowitzki said. "He played with the Showtime Lakers and was an ultimate pro. Played like 800 games straight or something. He had the longest Ironman streak. He was on the team my first year, and I was just watching him. He was ripped at age 38, 39. I watched his every move in practice. How does he prepare? Does he stretch?”

Oct 18, 2013; Shanghai, Shanghai Province, China; Los Angeles Lakers retired player A.C. Green Jr. on the sideline before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Mercedes-Benz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Danny La-Imagn Images | Danny La-Imagn Images

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A.C. Green spent 16 years in the NBA, 9 of them with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the others. Green even made an All-Star Game in 1990. He came to the Mavericks via the trade that brought Michael Finley to Dallas in 1996, and Green would be with the Mavs for 2 1/2 seasons until he was sent back to the Lakers.

By that point in his career, he was more of a veteran presence in the locker room than he was a force on the court, even if he was still a decent rebounder.

A Veteran Presence Matters for Developing Players

You'll hear players talk about their "vet" in the locker room for getting them used to life in the NBA. It happened with Dereck Lively II, in a sense, as he had Tyson Chandler come back as a player development coach. Those kinds of veteran presences really matter for young player.

Cooper Flagg is surrounded by great veteran presences, as he has three future Hall of Famers around him, and his head coach is a Hall of Famers, too. That experience in invaluable for a player like Flagg, who is the second-youngest first overall pick.

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