There is no doubt Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best players to ever play the game. Even in the twilight of his career now, his greatness is appreciated by fans from around the world. It's also the same case for his young teammates, who feel honored to be playing with him.
Some of his Dallas Mavericks teammates recently talked about how he helped them play better. They admitted, via Earl K. Sneed for Mavs.com, that his mere presence was already enough to inspire them to contribute more to their team.
One of them is undrafted rookie Dorian Finney-Smith, who feels very lucky to have been part of the team and witness Nowitzki reach the 30,000 points plateau.
“It was an honor. It was an honor to be on the court with him. You couldn’t tell me last year that I would be on the court, especially after the draft, when he hit his 30,000 (points), so I was just happy to experience that.”
Yogi Ferrell echoed his statement and added how fun it is to play with someone who knows how to win, and demands only the best from his teammates on the court.
“It’s been great playing with him. He’s also another demanding guy on the court. He knows what winning is. And if he’s yelling at you, it’s all in good spirit and good favor. But it’s been fun playing with him. And for me to get to know him now and actually kind of get to know him, instead of being on the outside, it was something special.”
For Nerlens Noel, he described his experience of playing with the 38-year-old German international as humbling, especially with the way he saw him care for everyone on their roster.
“It was great. It was a humbling experience, I think, especially being here for the 30,000-point mark for him. To see how much the guys really care for each other, really have each others’ back and really want each other to succeed just as much as they do themselves, it definitely was a humbling experience to be around these guys. Especially Dirk, with his greatness and what he’s stood for, for 19 years.”
It is still unclear how many more seasons Nowitzki still wants to play, and when he'll decide to hang his sneakers for good. However, with the legacy he's leaving, he will definitely go down as one of the true legends of the game.
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