Mark Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks for merely $285,000,000 in January of 2000. ‘Merely’, because the business tycoon was already a self-made billionaire during that time. During the 1999-2000 season, Dirk Nowitzki was one of the established stars on the team. Hence, it wasn’t surprising that Cuban wanted to interact with the German during his first practice after buying the franchise. And in that same practice, while trying to impress Dirk with his basketball skills, Cuban ended up getting dunked on.
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Dirk Nowitzki is one of the greatest big men in league history. Playing for the Texas side for the entirety of his career, Dirk was the epitome of loyalty. Over the course of his 21-year career, the 7-footer gathered some of the highest honors available in the game – 14 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA selections, an MVP, a Championship, and the Finals MVP.
Following the conclusion of an illustrious career, the European legend saw his jersey retired and a statue unveiled outside the American Airlines Center (the Mavericks’ home stadium). Now, the member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team has also been enshrined into the Hall Of Fame.
Dirk Nowitzki recalls dunking on Mark Cuban
Dirk Nowitzki entered the Hall Of Fame alongside Dwayne Wade, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Gregg Popovich, among other members of the 2023 Class. As expected, Nowitzki had a beautiful speech prepared. During the course of it, Dirk expressed his gratitude to the different people who impacted his life by stating one essential quality he took from them.
Apart from lauding Mark Cuban for his “loyalty” however, Nowitzki narrated a hilarious story from the team owner’s first practice after buying the franchise. As seen in Bleacher Report’s Instagram post, a younger Cuban decided to impress the best player on the team with his own basketball skills. Unfortunately for him though, the billionaire ended up getting humiliated, getting caught in a poster. Expressing his love for Cuban, Dirk said:
“You have a huge heart and you taught me a lot of lessons and loyalty. I will always remember when you bought the team and you came to your first practice. You said ‘Let’s play some one-on-one, I can play a little bit’. So of course, I drove left like I always do and I dunked it right on your head. We had a great friendship and relationship ever since.”
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Mark didn’t shy away from the fact that he got dunked on. However, the businessman once disclosed that he actually had a winning record against Nowitzki.
“I went by him and scored twice, and then he stopped me and one move and dunked. I quit, so officially, I’m 1 and 0 against Dirk,” Cuban said.
Very few NBA owners are as close to their players and staff as Cuban is. One of the most respected owners in the American sports fraternity, Mark holds the utmost respect for the people on his payroll as well as the fans.
Cuban and Nowitzki share the highest respect for each other
Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki are two of the most respected individuals in their respective fields. With the former Power Forward winning the franchise its only Championship in its history, Cuban certainly feels indebted to him. Of course, with Nowitzki being associated with the franchise for more than two decades, they definitely have a special bond
On the professional front, Cuban has been extremely helpful. Not only by rewarding Dirk with lucrative contracts for his loyalty but also by giving him financial advice every step of the way. It is no wonder Dirk is now worth a whopping $140 million.
