The Stars’ and Mavericks’ planned moves away from American Airlines Center in 2031 have left many unanswered questions about the fate of downtown Dallas and the building they’ve occupied for close to three decades.
Among those questions: What will happen to the two statues that sit just feet from the arena’s front doors?
But the two legendary North Texas athletes will remain neighbors in Victory Park for only the next five years.
The Stars and the Mavericks confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that both statues are movable and would be taken to their potential new arenas: the Stars’ in Plano and the Mavs’ at the Valley View mall site.
Modano confirmed to The News that he was informed his statue will make the trip up the Dallas North Tollway.
That drive is nothing compared to the trips both statues made earlier this decade. Both were both designed by Chicago-based artist Omri Amrany. After using thousands of pounds of clay and a forklift to sculpt each, they were sent to a foundry where they were set in bronze and welded together.
Then, a separate company that made the granite bases transported the statues nearly 1,000 miles to Dallas.
The 11-mile trip for Nowitzki to Valley View and the 17-mile trip for Modano to Plano should be far simpler.
The Cowboys similarly moved a statue of legendary coach Tom Landry from the gates of Texas Stadium in Irving to AT&T Stadium (then Cowboys Stadium) when the team moved to Arlington in 2009.
The News contacted Amrany’s studio for more specifics on the transportation process but did not hear back.
It also remains unclear what will happen to the street named Nowitzki Way in Victory Park, and whether a street near the Mavericks’ new arena will be renamed to honor Nowitzki.