Dirk Nowitzki Statue Unveiled Before Dallas Mavericks Rout Lakers

• The statue of Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki has been unveiled
• The nearly 24-foot statue was unveiled on Christmas morning before the Mavericks beat the Lakers 124-115
• Nowitzki is considered one of the best NBA players of all time

Dirk Nowitzki was immortalized on Christmas Day as the Dallas Mavericks unveiled his statue before they thumped the LA Lakers 124-115 to register their third win in a row.

Nowitzki is considered one of the best players in the NBA and his role in the 2011 championship elevated his legacy as the Mavericks did the unthinkable by beating the Miami Heat super team.

The 44-year-old was drafted 9th overall in 1999 and went on to spend all his NBA career in Dallas. He was first selected into the All-Star team in 2002. In total, he made 14 All-Star appearances.

In 2007 he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). He followed that up by shocking the world by beating LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, per CBS Sports.

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He retired in 2019 after spending all his career in Dallas.

Nowitzki statue unveiled

According to ESPN, the nearly 24-foot statue was unveiled on Christmas morning. Nowitzki and his son Max pushed the lever before the white bronze statue was revealed.

The statue is a sculpture of the German's famous one-legged jumper. The shot became known as "The Dirk" while Nowitzki climbed to the sixth spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Omri Amrany created the statue. He also made statues of other retired NBA stars including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.

The details in the statue include the shoes and uniform that Nowitzki wore when he lead the Mavericks to the NBA championship.

"Loyalty never fades away," is engraved in the base, which is a tribute to Nowitzki for playing 21 seasons for one franchise, per AP.

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Nowitzki named as HOF nominee

Sports Brief earlier reported on Nowitzki being among the iconic Dwyane Wade, Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol to be nominated to the 2023 Hall of Fame.

Nowitzki is considered one of the best international players of all time.

Ever since he won the 2011 NBA title he has commanded respect from his peers and fans from rival NBA teams for his incredible achievements.