Most employees hope for a plaque when their career is done. Dirk Nowitzki? He gets monuments. And this one is even more meaningful than the bronze statue outside American Airlines Center. Built in his hometown, it celebrates not just 20 years of basketball greatness, but two decades of Dirk’s relentless work off the court—while planting seeds for the next generation of German hoopers.

On October 1, the Dallas Mavericks unveiled their fourth international basketball court at Gustav Walle Mittelschule in Würzburg, Germany—the same city where Dirk was born in 1978 and first made his mark as a 15-year-old standout at DJK Würzburg. It’s also where his mother, Helga, once played for West Germany’s 1966 EuroBasket Women’s team, tying the Nowitzki name deeply into Würzburg’s basketball roots.

The date holds even more meaning. Back in 2005, Dirk launched the Dirk Nowitzki-Stiftung in Würzburg as the German arm of his foundation, supporting children’s health and education. This October 1 marks its 20th anniversary, a reminder that Dirk’s legacy stretches far beyond the NBA—cemented both in Dallas and in the city that raised him.

The Mavericks social media pages displayed the aerial view of this outside court in stunning Mavs blues. The silhouette of Dirk doing his signature step back fadeaway and his number, 41, were the main features along with the Mavs logo and the foundation name. Fans in the comments were pointing out the the rims weren’t aligned but that’s fixable.

This court is the fourth in the franchise’s international projects. They built a court each in Slovenia and Mexico, and two in Spain.

Nowitzki also shared the court’s opening on his social media. But he had shown his gratitude to the organization well before that.

Dirk Nowitzki and Mavericks’ ties still run strong

There doesn’t seem to have been an official ceremony for the opening of this court. Nor does it appear that Nowitzki himself was present himself. He’s actually got a lot on his plate right now.

Nowitzki’s about to make his sportscasting debut on Amazon Prime. That’s going to demand a weekly commute to Los Angeles to record the show with Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Candace Parker. A few days ago, he told a Dallas media outlet that his new job will cut into his time with the Mavericks.

The Mavs and Mark Cuban love him so much, after Nowitzki retired in 2019, Cuban kept him in the organization as a special advisor. Since his appointment in 2021, Nowitzki did attend one training camp but realized the undefined job in the coaching staff didn’t suit him. So he took a backseat on the team and remained active in the Dallas community through his foundation.

He did assure that he’s a phonecall away and has been mentoring Cooper Flagg. But he’s excited to experience the NBA life once more through the broadcasting booth. Despite the vague distance, the Mavs will keep their connection to their longest tenured player. And this court is one of those gestures.

“Sports shaped my life – through success and failure, through teamwork, confidence and trust. With the Dirk Nowitzki-Stiftung, I want to empower kids through sports, education and strong communities for them to discover their strengths and make the most of their opportunities – in sports and in life,” Nowitzki said a month ago when the Mavericks announced a court in his hometown.

“I’m deeply grateful to the Dallas Mavericks for gifting this new court to my hometown of Würzburg in honor of our 20th anniversary.”

Current Mavericks CEO, Rick Welts said last month, “Dirk is not only a Mavericks and NBA legend, he is an international basketball legend. What he has done for the game of basketball in Germany and across the globe has made a significant impact, and we are proud to be a part of celebrating his legacy.”

Now all we need is for Nowitzki to make a trip back home to check out this court in person and drop that Reel.