Mavericks Legend Dirk Nowitzki Reveals Hilarious First Impression of Jalen Brunson

It wouldn't be Dirk Nowitzki if he wasn't cracking jokes.

Sep 21, 2018; Dallas, TX, USA; (Editors note: composite stitched image) Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (13) and forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) and guard Luka Doncic (77) pose for a photo during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's always great to hear Dirk Nowitzki talk about his days with the Dallas Mavericks. He's unquestionably the greatest player in franchise history, and while his relationship with the organization has been strained in recent years, it seems that he's starting to come around with Nico Harrison gone.

Nowitzki and Steve Nash recently appeared on "The Roommates" podcast, which is co-hosted by New York Knicks starters Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Brunson's first year in the NBA happened to be Nowitzki's last. It was supposed to be a passing of the torch to Luka Doncic, who was also drafted in Brunson's class, and Nowitzki will be the first one to tell you that he never envisioned Brunson having this kind of a career.

He explained his thinking behind that on the podcast.

“When I first saw Jalen walk in the training facility, I was like, 'This is not gonna work. His body, the head's too big, like, how is he not falling forward the whole time? Like, how is he gonna play in the NBA at this level?' But then I saw his footwork, how smart he is, his work ethic, it was outstanding," Nowitzki said. "He was always with our shooting coach, with [God Shammgod] working on his handle... It was extremely great to see his work ethic in just that one season. I was really happy when he got his opportunity when Luka was hurt there in the first round against Utah..."

Jalen Brunson reflects on his time with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, then Dirk hilariously admits his FIRST impression of Brunson was that “it’s never gonna work” He thought Brunson’s head and body were TOO BIG and was shocked he wasn’t constantly falling forward 😂💀 pic.twitter.com/XfiesHxgKs
— Deuce World🌃 (@deuceworldx) October 22, 2026

All Respect Between Dirk Nowitzki and Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson mentioned how cool it was to see all the respect that Dirk Nowitzki was getting from other fanbases in his final season, even if he joked that they couldn't make any bounce passes to him (to which Nowitzki retorted that they couldn't make any high passes either).

Brunson also mentioned that any time Nowitzki checked in the game late, which is really all the playing time that Brunson had in his rookie season, the mission was to let Nowitzki take as many shots as possible.

There is still clearly a lot of respect between the two sides.

No one expected Jalen Brunson to turn into the Finals MVP of a team when he was selected in the second round by the Mavericks, but it makes it all the more painful that the Mavs couldn't come to some kind of extension to keep him with the franchise longer.

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