“If we hadn’t won the championship in 2011, I would have maybe looked to other teams”: Dirk Nowitzki reveals he did consider leaving the Mavericks to have a complete legacy

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki makes a shocking confession about leaving Dallas if they hadn’t won a championship in 2011.

The NBA has had only a handful of players who have played their entire career for one franchise, Dirk Nowitzki being one of them. The German superstar played a mindboggling 21-years for the Dallas Mavericks, bringing them their only championship so far.

The former Finals MVP had his jersey retired recently in a heartwarming ceremony in Dallas. Though he shares a very close relationship with the Mavericks organization right now, Dirk had thought of exiting the organization at one time. The fourteen-time All-Star wanted to win a championship before he retired.

Fortunately for the Mavericks fans, this didn’t happen as the Mark Cuban team won their first championship in 2011. In a rematch from the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavericks would face the Heat, who had assembled a super team boasting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

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Though the Mavs had lost the battle in 2006, they would have the perfect revenge five years later despite being the underdogs in the series.

Dirk Nowitzki did toe the idea of parting ways with the Mavericks.

Recently, a Redditor revealed some excerpts of Dirk’s conversation on a German podcast. According to the podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” by Toni Kroos and Felix Kroos, Dirk admitted to switching teams towards the end of his career hadn’t he won a championship.

Nonetheless, Dirk took on the Heat’s Big 3 in the 2011 NBA Finals. Though Dirk had Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry by his side, they weren’t as young and explosive as the Big 3 of the Miami Heat. However, the seven-foot Nowitzki defeated the Heat in six games.

When asked if he lost out on a couple of championships to stay loyal to Mavs, Dirk said the following.

“If we hadn’t won the championship in 2011, I would have maybe looked to other teams near the end of my career. Luckily it didn’t come to that.”

Via: Reddit

The Mavericks winning a championship in 2011 cemented Dirk’s legacy as one of the all-time power forwards. The Finals MVP averaged 26.0-points and 9.7-rebounds. The former 3-point contest winner shot almost 98% from the free-throw line during the Finals.

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By playing with the Mavs his entire career, Dirk joined the exclusive club of Kobe Bryant, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, and Tim Duncan.