Dallas is about to share Dirk Nowitzki with Los Angeles, while back in his hometown, the Mavericks have built something remarkable in his honor. But just outside Dallas, one of the franchise icon’s personal projects has taken a turn.

Nowitzki’s business ventures rarely make headlines, but his stake in Rollertown Beerworks differed. The Texas-based brewery built buzz by attracting celebrity attention- Ben Stiller among them- even making its way into the hands of thousands of Taylor Swift fans. Yet despite the hype, Rollertown has reached an unsustainable point.

As Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary once quipped while seated next to Mark Cuban, the beverage industry can crush startups, making him ‘hate this space’. Rollertown Beerworks is now facing that reality, announcing it will shut down its Celina brewery due to rising costs.

Only a few months ago, Rollertown was a big topic on social media and a feature in D Magazine, Dallas’s representative publication. Ben Stiller had introduced one of their beers at Taylor Swift’s legendary Eras Tour. The shot of the comedic legend wearing the Rollertown Beerworks cap under a VIP tent at her concert stop went viral. The brand got its publicity, a move planned by Stiller’s brother, Jonathan, who has led marketing campaigns for beverage brands.

The founders were ambitious about celebrity involvement and got their dream investor in Dirk Nowitzki. Besides being an investor, the 2011 NBA champion got a beer dedicated to him – The Big German – by Rollertown.

Rollertown launched initially in the crunched economic landscape of 2020 with minimal fundraising at a small location off of Oklahoma Drive in Celina. By 2022, with the marketing efforts by the Stiller brothers, they scaled it up with another location in Frisco.

They have 20 kinds of beers on tap and in June 2025, had plans to grow production to 20,000 barrels a year.

Of course, this plan seemed near impossible at the small brewery in Celina. Rollertown initially said they did not intend to move out of town- 45 minutes outside Dallas. Circumstances, however, changed this year, and they’re unable to keep that promise.

A new chapter for Dirk Nowitzki and Rollertown

Rollertown Beerworks is not completely shutting down operations, and Dirk Nowitzki is still part of it. It is, however, unable to operate from Celina where it originated.

In a social media post, the brewers stated, “With the significant rise in costs over the past several years, and with our rent here in Celina doubling this past January, it has simply become too costly to continue operating our original taproom. We wish this weren’t the case, but it simply isn’t feasible.”

The rise in rent made it unsustainable. Rollertown is completely shifting operations to its new $12 million Frisco HQ, where there is an 11,000-square-foot production facility with a new 60 BBL brewhouse, which has been in the works since 2021.

They officially broke ground on the new facility in March 2025, with Dirk Nowitzki in attendance. Like the one in Celina, the Frisco location will have an outdoor beer garden serving The Big German.

It’s not a significant setback to Nowitzki, who’s active in the Dallas community with his philanthropy. He may have taken a step back from day-to-day operations with the Mavericks, but he remains committed to supporting Dallas-based businesses and programs aiding children.

He will have a weekly commute to Los Angeles as he makes his sportscasting debut on Amazon Prime this season. The Mavericks just gifted a fully furnished basketball court to his hometown in Wurzburg, Germany, but he’s not been there nor has he been spotted around Rollertown in Celina recently.

The Celina Taproom’s final day will be Saturday, October 11, during the City’s Oktoberfest celebration. The opening for the Frisco location has a tentative date of October 22, but it’s not set in stone yet. Fingers crossed, it features a 7 foot dunkman.