Dirk Nowitzki, wearing a white polo shirt bearing his signature fadeaway logo, sat on a wooden stool surrounded by cameras for the majority of Tuesday morning.
The Dallas Mavericks legend was fresh off a monthslong summer vacation in Europe and back in town to prepare for his foundation’s seventh annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic.
This year’s edition of the annual tennis event will be held Sept. 13 at Banner House at T Bar M from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Celebrities expected to participate include Nowitzki’s former teammates Steve Nash and Devin Harris, former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and actor Boris Kodjoe.
Mavericks
And Mavericks No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg will make his Dallas debut on a tennis court before a basketball court.
Flagg will be among many athletes and celebrities in attendance next Saturday to help raise money for Nowitzki’s foundation, which directs 100% of proceeds toward annual grants to North Texas organizations focusing on children’s wellbeing, health and education.
In Tuesday’s conversation with The Dallas Morning News, Nowitzki reflected on the tennis classic, his budding relationship with Flagg and the state of his relationship with the Mavericks.
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The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Q: This is going to be the 7th annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic. Can you share an example of how past tournaments have directly benefited families or programs in need?
Nowitzki: Every dollar we make goes back out straight to all the organizations in the Metroplex that we support. We’ve already given over a quarter of a million dollars just alone this year on food drives down in the Mark Cuban Heroes Center [in Southern Dallas]. We’ve been doing that since the pandemic the last couple of years, where we saw there’s a bunch of needs down there.
We’ve been supporting some organizations here focused on health and education. We’re thrilled and thankful for everybody that’s supported.
Q: What does it mean to know you’re giving back to the community with the foundation?
Nowitzki: It means a lot to me. I always tell this story of how well I was received here. The love. The loyalty. The support from day one. I felt like the people in Dallas and the Metroplex wanted me to succeed. There were games when I didn’t play at all in my first year and then I got subbed in and I got a standing ovation. They could’ve been down on this guy that was drafted so high and doesn’t produce in year one. Dallas supported me and I needed it.
I actually still get a little emotional about it because it just meant so much to younger German that was a little lost at times. I didn’t adjust my game right. I had a tough time adjusting off the court with a new language, a new culture. But the people wanted me to succeed.
Q: Have you met Cooper Flagg yet, and what are your initial impressions of him?
Nowitzki: I have not met Cooper. Our paths have never crossed. We were texting a bit after he was drafted. I wanted to welcome him to the city and let him know if there’s anything he ever needs that I’m here for him and happy to help. I’m just a phone call away. He said, ‘Thank you so much and hopefully we’ll be in touch later on.’
We reached out [to ask him to come to the classic]. I don’t think he’s much of a tennis player because he’s more of a golfer, but he said, ‘I’ll come out and do whatever to support. I want to see what you guys are doing and what events you’re putting on with the foundation.’ He’s very curious and we’re very thankful that he wants to come out and support. I’m sure leading up to the season he’s very busy.
Q: Flagg is joining a team of future Hall of Famers, but one day he’s going to take the reins of the franchise. What advice do you have for him in that role, since you experienced it with the Mavericks?
Nowitzki: It was hard for me. My personality wasn’t, ‘Hey, look at me. I’m the big speech guy. Follow me now.’ I had to grow into it. Learn through some mistakes.
I’m not quite sure I can help him with advice. The only thing is keep your eyes and ears open. Keep learning from your veterans. He’s got some incredible players on the team now with Kyrie [Irving], obviously Klay [Thompson]. AD’s [Anthony Davis] been around forever. There’s so much knowledge there that he can tap into and learn from. Ask questions. How are their pregame routines? What do they eat? How do they prepare for events? What do they do with appearances? How do they interact with the media? That was key for me at the beginning, watching Michael Finley, who was a true pro. Steve Nash, learning from them.
I had a guy called AC Green. He played with the Showtime Lakers and was an ultimate pro. Played like 800 games straight or something. He had the longest Ironman streak. He was on the team my first year and I was just watching him. He was ripped at age 38, 39. I watched his every move in practice. How does he prepare? Does he stretch?
I think that’ll be my advice. Learn as much as you can. Soak it all up and eventually use it and find your own routine. Find your own way of leading. I don’t think there’s just one way to do it. I think a team can see through some stuff if they think, ‘This is not him.’ or ‘This is fake.’ You want to be as natural as possible and be yourself and find your own way of leading.
But at the beginning, it’s all about learning and keeping your eyes and ears open. There will be some tough times. It’s not an easy transition. It’s the best league in the world. Work through the kinks and go from there.
Q: After the Luka Doncic trade and comments that were made about your relationship with the Mavericks, how would you characterize where you are now with the organization, including the front office and ownership?
Nowitzki: I’m still sort of involved, but not really on the day to day. I tried that a couple of years ago. It was a little weird for me to be there and not really knowing my role. Since then, I’ve kind of pulled back a bit again. The last two years, I really haven’t been involved in anything front office related. Speaking of the Luka trade, I was as surprised and as shocked as everybody. I had no idea this was even in the works.
Obviously, the Mavs know that I’m a phone call away if anything is ever needed. Now of course, I’m moving into my Amazon Prime gig and that’s obviously something I want to put a lot of focus on. If I decide to do something, I want to do a good job. I’m going to dedicate a lot of time to that and I have to travel a bunch to LA. But of course, I will always be a Mavs guy. If there’s anything I can help with or if Cooper reaches out or needs me or has a question, I’m always a phone call away. For now, I don’t see me getting involved in any day-to-day business or management type of stuff.
Q: The Mavs recently dedicated a court in your honor in your hometown of Wurzburg, Germany. When did you find out the news and what are you looking forward to the most about next month’s ceremony?
Nowitzki: I’ve seen them dedicate some courts around the world. They’ve done JJ [Barea]. They did Luka a couple of years ago in Slovenia. They approached us early last year and timing-wise, it wasn’t working out. So we’re actually doing it in a couple of weeks, Oct. 1 in my hometown. Also, I have a foundation in Germany and we have our 20-year anniversary this year.
It’s super sweet that they’ve decided to do that for us, for the people in Wurzburg and for my foundation over there. It’ll be a fun day. I’m not sure who’s coming from the Mavs, but that’s sweet and I’m looking forward to going home that day and presenting the new court in that new area there where they have some basketball projects and programs. I think it’s going to be delightful for the city.”
X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2
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