WATCH: Mavs Unveil Dirk Nowitzki's Statue Ahead of Matchup with Lakers
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Ahead of Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks' Christmas Day matchup against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki received a special ceremony in front of American Airlines Center, as his long-awaited statue was unveiled. The statue's pose is one every NBA fan will recognize – Nowitzki's iconic one-legged fadeaway.
"The statue is beautiful," said Mavs coach Jason Kidd, who was also Nowitzki's 2011 championship teammate. "But there is one thing missing ... We're gonna have to go to McDonald's or something to put the little burgers that carried you."
Although Nowitzki will continue to be celebrated by the Mavs for the rest of his life, this statue is one of the biggest ways he can be immortalized, as it will remain forever ... even if Mark Cuban eventually builds a new arena in the future.
The words "Loyalty never fades away" are on the base of Nowitzki's statue.
"It's 21 letters for my 21 years here," said Nowitzki.
It has been three and a half years since Nowitzki retired from basketball. Since then, he's had his jersey retired by both the Mavs and the German national team, he's had a silhouette of his one-legged fadeaway placed on the Mavs' court, he's had a street in front of AAC named after him, and he's even come back to the Mavs in an official 'special advisor' front office role.
The star-studded Christmas Day matchup between Luka and LeBron is the main course everyone is waiting for, but watching Dirk get his flowers yet again, this time in the form of a massive statue, is about as good of an appetizer as we can get.
When the Mavs retired Nowitzki's No. 41 into the AAC rafters last season, Doncic and the rest of the team responded by completely dismantling the Golden State Warriors in front of an energetic home crowd. Let's see if they can do something similar against the Lakers in what will be their first home Christmas game in 11 years.
For now, enjoy this photo gallery from Nowitzki's ceremony:
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