Signature moves have become a staple of the NBA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used his patented sky-hook to decimate defenders. More recently, James Harden has perfected the art of the step back jumper, adding his own flair to create separation and give himself clean looks.
In the last two decades, there may not be a single more recognizable move than Dirk Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway jumper. Given his height and length, Nowitzki's agility and ability to loft high-arcing shots over the outstretched arms of defenders made him one of the elite scorers in the history of the game.
With Nowitzki officially retiring at the end of the 2018-19 season, the Dallas Mavericks will have Nowitzki's signature shot emblazoned on the American Airlines court:
Dirk told Eddie Sefko of NBA.com that he was taken aback by the gesture, which seems to have been spearheaded by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban:
“That’s super-sweet,” Nowitzki said Sunday at his Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic on the SMU campus. “That was a surprise to me. It’s of course an honor. I don’t think anybody else has done that before. I’m super, super thankful to Mark (Cuban). I think it was actually his idea for the Mavericks to execute that. It’s going to be surreal going to games and seeing that right there. It’s definitely special.”
Nowitzki is the all-time franchise leader in points scored, and he will undoubtedly go down as the best player in Mavericks history after winning the NBA MVP Award in 2007 and leading Dallas to their first NBA title in 2011.
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