Funviralpark On Christmas morning, minutes before the approximately 24-foot-tall statue was unveiled just off the street that had been renamed Nowitzki Way a few years earlier, Cuban said to Nowitzki, “I was able to keep my promise.” I’m happy because you earned it.”
The white bronze is a sculpture of Nowitzki’s iconic one-legged fadeaway jumper, and the same shot is featured in silhouette near the left blocks at either end of American Airlines Center Court. The shot became known as “The Dark,” and Nowitzki ranked him sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, including his two stars facing each other on the same floor on Sunday afternoon. It has become part of the repertoire of several current players. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks.
Doncic and several other Mavericks attended the ceremony, as did coach Jason Kidd, a former teammate of Nowitzki.
“One more stop: Hall of Fame,” Kidd said, referring to the sure inclusion of Nowitzki in the next Hall of Fame class as the first ballot choice.
Artist Omri Amrani is one of several statues he created to honor NBA legends, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. The statue is rich in detail using the shoes and uniform Nowitzki wore while leading the Mavericks to the franchise’s only title, the 2010-11 NBA Championship. .
At the base of the statue is the inscription, “Loyalty never fades.” This is a tribute to Nowitzki, who spent his entire career in Dallas and played his 21 seasons with one franchise, setting his NBA record.
“I just sat down and asked, ‘What do people associate with you in Dallas?'” Nowitzki said. “It was two things this guy. It was fade away and loyalty. We sort of combined it. It’s just a fun fact that in 21 years he was 21 characters.” did”
