Dirk Nowitzki fought hard to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance in 2006. Just when he thought the Mavs were just two wins away from making history, the Miami Heat beat them in the next four games to win the title.
Totally dejected and disappointed, Nowitzki went on a three-week bender. He spent days and nights drinking and partying hard in the hope that the pain caused by the upset Finals loss to the Heat would eventually go away.
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“I had to go on a three-week drinking binge just to forget everything,” Nowitzki opened up in an interview in 2011 via The Dallas Morning News. “Jet [Jason Terry] picked me up for the party bus almost every day, and we went somewhere just to make us forget and have a good time. We ended up in Vegas after three hard weeks.”
Dirk could never drink like that again
Unlike some professional athletes who experienced the same thing, Nowitzki didn’t let alcohol completely consume him. He bounced back stronger the very next season.
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Under Nowitzki’s leadership, the Mavs finished as the No. 1 team in the league in 2007. He rightfully won the MVP award, but his squad suffered another upset defeat in the postseason. This time, it was more painful for Dirk as the eight-seeded Golden State Warriors eliminated the Mavs.
Despite the devastation, Nowitzki managed to stay focused on his goal. He never gave up on his team and four years later he led the Mavs to their first NBA championship in franchise history.
As expected, Nowitzki drank and partied once again. However, it was no longer because of pain but of fulfillment and pride. Admittedly, Dirk wanted to go hard as he did back in ’06, but his body couldn’t keep up anymore.
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“I just think people saw how hard I take it, that my heart is in it all the way, and I do this the right way… I just think it’s very humbling for people to be on my side and ultimately want me to get the ring, it’s great,” Nowitzki reflected.
“I am a little older now than I was then,” he explained. “I actually think we partied harder in ’06 when we lost just to forget about it than we did now… This year, we had a couple of good nights, but I’m 33 now. My body can’t recover, so you have to party one day, and the next day has to be off. You can’t go back to back when you’re that old.”
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Dirk doesn’t plan to get in shape in retirement
Nowitzki and the Mavs weren’t able to repeat the run they had in 2011. After years of failing to go deep in the playoffs, “German Jesus” decided to call it a career in 2019.
In retirement, the transition was smooth for Nowitzki because he really wanted to take a break and didn’t feel the need to do anything. In fact, he didn’t even want to get involved with the Mavs.
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“It’s been a blast. It’s been everything I’ve dreamed of, drinking everything and eating everything in sight on vacation and not really worrying about anything about staying in shape,” Nowitzki once told Mavs.com.
At one point, Jason Kidd convinced Dirk to attend Mavs practices. He did so for a time, but he eventually realized it wasn’t meant for him and continued to enjoy his retirement.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.