Dirk Nowitzki has made his iconic presence known with his legendary No. 41 Dallas Mavericks jersey in the league. In 2021, the German superstar finally revealed the real reason behind choosing his iconic jersey number two years after retiring from the league. When Nowitzki first started playing basketball, he switched from number 11 to 14 in Germany after being fascinated seeing the Phoenix Suns legend, Charles Barkley play.
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However, when Nowitzki arrived at Dallas in 1998, the then Mavs’ number 14, Robert Pack Jr., was not ready to hand the #14 jersey to a rookie. However, the German wasn’t ready to give away those digits either. Hence, he found an ingenious way to compare with the Round Mound of Rebound. And all thanks to Sir Charles, now fans can relate number 41 to the iconic Dallas center, who helped the team win a championship in 2011.
Dirk Nowitzki reveals the iconic reason behind choosing his #41 jersey
To this day, Dirk Nowitzki credits Charles Barkley as a direct influence for his iconic #41 jersey. Growing up in Germany, Nowitzki was fascinated with Charles Barkley’s skills, seeing the iconic power forward at his best during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Chuck was a part of the iconic ‘Dream Team,’ donning the number 14 for Team USA. He even went on to grab the scoring leadership during the tournament.
Impressed by Sir Charles’ prowess, Nowitzki changed from #11 to #14 to embody the skills he had learned from Barkley. For the longest time, the German held onto the jersey number 14 for team Germany. However, when he was drafted into the NBA, his teammate Robert John Pack Jr. did not want to give the number up to a rookie.
Hear it from Nowitzki saying it himself, in a clip uploaded by NBA’s official account on X.
” I played with number 14 in Germany. When I actually started playing basketball, I had 11. Then I saw Charles Barkley wear number 14 in the Olympics, in 1992 in Barcelona. And I loved Charles at the time as well so I switched to 14. I wanted to take 14 in Dallas, Robert Pack at that time had got 14, and he did not want to give the number up to a rookie. So, I ended up flipping the number and picking the number 41.”
However, as time went on, Nowitzki, much like Charles Barkley, also charmed the league with his unique style of play. The German was known for his scoring ability, versatility, and trademark fadeaway jump shot, making him a legend in Dallas. All thanks to Nowitzki’s prowess, the German helped the Mavs win their first-ever NBA championship while also bagging the Finals MVP award himself.
Charles Barkley holds equally high regard for Dirk Nowitzki
Charles Barkley was not oblivious to the inspiration Dirk Nowitzki had drawn from watching him play. Nowitzki was always a touted prospect during the 1998 NBA Draft, which Chuck still fondly remembers. Lauding Nowitzki’s incredible prowess, Barkley remarked how an 18-year-old Nowitzki had displayed his potential greatness even before joining the league and also as a rookie.
Barkley indeed was right about predicting Nowitzki’s prowess entering the NBA. After all, he might still think of the time when the youngster outscored him during a Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets game by 16.5 points to 15 points. In that game, young Nowitzki outplayed an aging Charles Barkley, who was a victim of the German’s nasty pump-fake and slamming down the ball.
