Jason Kidd, Steve Nash to Present Dirk Nowitzki at Hall of Fame Induction
When Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August, he will be presented by former teammates Steve Nash and Jason Kidd.
Nowitzki, who played 21 seasons all for the Dallas Mavericks, will be joined by other notable NBA Hall of Fame inductees, including Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker.
"When Jerry called, I tried to stay all cool on the phone ... but this is super cool," Nowitzki said in April after hearing of his Hall of Fame selection. "And I called my family, my immediate family ... and my mom, right away, said, 'I'm the mother of a Hall of Famer.' That's when it really set in."
Nowitzki played 344 regular season and playoff games with Kidd and helped lead the Mavs to their first and only NBA championship in 2011. Before that stage of his career, Nowitzki logged 434 total games with Nash.
Nowitzki's impact on the game of basketball was truly iconic, between his one-legged fadeaway, 3-point shooting for a big, and general mid-range mastery. The 7-footer was also named MVP in 2007, a 14-time All-Star, and a 12-time All-NBA selection.
Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 1,522 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he was routinely raised his game, averaging 25.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 145 playoff games.
Other accolades for Nowitzki include being named to the NBA 75th anniversary team, having his No. 41 jersey number retired by the Mavs, a street named "Nowitzki Way" in front of the American Airlines Center, along with a statue built in front.
Nowitzki's Hall of Fame resume goes well beyond just his NBA contributions. He was named the FIBA EuroBasket MVP in 2005, an 11-time All-Europeans First Team, a two-time FIBA World Cup Top Scorer, a three-time FIBA EuroBasket top scorer, and a six-time Euroscar Player of the Year.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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