Mavs Legend Dirk Nowitzki Part of Painful Dunk Fail Before NBA Finals Game

The NBA Hall of Famer was too tall.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Former NBA player Dirk Nowitzki before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was in attendance to see his old team drop Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, 106-99, to go down 3-0 in the series. It may not have been the greatest injustice Nowitzki suffered through that evening.

Ahead of the game the Hall of Famer and NBA champion participated in some kind of promotional event outside American Airlines Center as the sun set in Dallas before tip. Nowitzki was then used as a prop for what was supposed to be a high-flying slam dunk from a dunker named Chris, who had the 7-footer hold a basketball over his head. Chris was presumably supposed to jump over Nowitzki, grab the ball, and slam it home.

Things did not go... according to plan, we'll say. The dunker did not get nearly enough height and ended up jumping on Nowitzki's back, sending both stumbling into the crowd. The video of the failed dunk and the announcer's reaction to it went viral. All-around, not a great time for Chris or Dirk.

Almost took Dirk out last night 😳 pic.twitter.com/z5efnU4UtO

— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) June 13, 2024

A tough scene. And probably the last time Nowitzki holds the ball for an amateur dunker. Don't anticipate seeing him at All-Star Weekend for a high-flying Maverick next year.