Dirk Nowitzki returns to the NBA almost two years after his career ended in an advisory capacity to the Dallas Mavericks. The German will support Dallas in the upcoming personnel decisions, as the Mavericks announced on Friday night. The franchise owner Mark Cuban approached him for a role as a “special adviser”.
“Of course, I said yes, whenever I can help my Mavs, I’m there,” Nowitzki said in a statement. The 2011 NBA champion is primarily intended to help in the search for a new head coach and general manager.
On Wednesday, former general manager Donnie Nelson announced his departure from the Mavs, and on Thursday, the era of head coach Rick Carlisle was over after 13 years.
With Nelson at the switchboard, Carlisle on the bench and Nowitzki on the floor, the Mavericks had won the North American Professional Basketball League title for the first time in 2011. “Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle have both been mentors to me, have played great roles in my career and that of the team and I will miss them. It’s important for me to support Mark and contribute as much as I can,” Nowitzki said.
For many years Nowitzki belonged to the elite of the world’s best basketball league, as the first European, he was named the most valuable player of the league in 2007 (2007). In addition, the Würzburg 14-time All-Star and most valuable player of the Finals (2011). He scored 31,560 points in 21 NBA years, sixth on the all-time leaderboard, and in the final home game of his career, he became the oldest pro to score 30 points or more in an NBA game.
