Days Before Dirk Nowitzki’s HoF Induction, Look Back When Mavs Star Almost Named “Hated” Rival the GOAT

On August 12, 2023, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will have another legend in its ranks. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki will join Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade, Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon for the induction ceremony. Nowitzki gets to boast about what it’s like playing against other Hall-of-Famers like Michael Jordan. But his own upcoming ceremony is making him emotional too.

Fans are reflecting on The Wunderkind’s legacy ahead of the big day – including the one time he stirred up a storm by weighing in on the raging Michael Jordan-LeBron James GOAT debate. Interestingly, Nowitzki’s former teammate claimed that the German-born pro had a strong dislike for the player he picked.

Dirk Nowitzki foresaw LeBron James’ record-breaker

Dirk Nowitzki played against His Airness in three games in 2002 and 2003. He’s played against James over a dozen times. He has experience with both of them as opponents, so in the Mavs star’s address at a press conference in December 2022, he gave his two cents about who is the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

“I always say MJ is the GOAT, [but] if he [James] surpasses [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] for the scoring record, I’m kind of running out of arguments for Michael. What this guy has done has been nothing short of incredible.”

At that time, there was a huge lead-up to James eventually breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Michael Jordan is fifth on the list and Nowitzki is sixth.

Nowitzki spoke it into existence because in February 2023, King James became the all-time leading scorer of the league. His former rivals along with other NBA stars were ecstatic for James. Nowitzki tweeted an “Unbelievable!! Congrats,” for James at that moment.

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But interestingly, JJ Barea, who played in the Mavs with the ‘Dunking Deutschman’ said that Nowitzki had a strong disdain for players like LeBron James.

Nowitzki had hated James once

The two had an intense on-court rivalry which Barea said fueled Nowitzki to dominate James in the 2011 NBA finals.

It’s an infamous moment in history when the Big 3, – James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – mocked Nowitzki for revealing he is ill before a game. The German player turned that into motivation to wipe the floor with them to win the Mavs the title.

That “hatred” has not shown recently, though. James called Nowitzki the “greatest international player of all time.” He was also envious of not having a signature like the “one-leg Dirk fadeaway.” Similarly, even before James broke Kareem’s record, Nowitzki was in awe of James continuing to play 20 seasons in. He praised his athletic skills to be at the top of the game amid fierce competition.

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Dirk was mad at James, Bosh and Wade in 2011, though. But that’s water under the bridge now. There’s a strong mutual respect between him and James as athletes today. He’s now going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with D-Wade in the Class of 2023. His admiration for his fellow athletes will be Dirk Nowitzki’s greatest legacy.