Dirk Nowitzki got that extra motivation from the fake coughs! Playing at the highest level means facing some of the toughest players in the league. And at times such as this, rivalries form quite easily. Think Magic Johnson and Larry Bird! It was the same in the 90s and then again in the late 2000s, with Nowitzki and another NBA legend facing each other. It was quite intense on court; if anything, the former teammates of the German legend saw it closely, and it became his favorite memories of his time playing alongside Nowitzki.

Apart from Kobe Bryant, Nowitzki and the Mavericks had a heated rivalry against the Miami Heat. It might have started back in 2006 when Wade and the Heat denied the championship to the Mavericks. The rivalry didn’t end, and the tension was quite clear when Wade questioned the 14x NBA All-Star’s leadership role for the Mavericks. “He wasn’t the leader that he’s supposed to be in the closing moments,” Wade told ESPN.

The static between the 3x NBA champ and Nowitzki was evident. This trade of light shots only kept brewing with time and reached its peak in 2011. Brendan Haywood, who was part of the Mavericks crew from 2010 to 2012, witnessed Nowitzki’s rivalry against Wade first-hand. In the latest episode of The Dan Patrick Show, the former NBA player shared that during a locker room conversation, Nowitzki refused to acknowledge the Miami Heat’s legendary Big Three, Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh.

“He’s (Dirk) just like that, ain’t no big three and I and we kind of look at him, we like ‘What, what do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t look at it like that. If they were really a big three in the offseason, they would have came and got me.’ And I was like ‘Okay.’ Cuz Dirk don’t talk like that, so he really meant it.” Haywood said.

This was quite different from the usual calm demeanor of Nowitzki and Haywood enjoyed it and perhaps found it motivating. Despite the Heatles’ best efforts, the Mavericks made it, winning the championship in 2011. The German legend averaged 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and shot 36.8 percent from beyond the three-point line across the 6 games to clinch the title.

Nowitzki had a rivalry with Kobe Bryant as well, but it wasn’t as intense as with Wade. This somehow rolled over to the All-Star weekends, too. After Wade secured the title in 2006 and made those comments against Dirk, he revealed that the two wouldn’t even look at each other. “We had beef in the All-Star Game, bro,” Wade said on The Why podcast.

And well, when it comes to the 2011 Finals, there was another instance that ended up fueling the competitive fire in a sick Nowitzki.

102-degree fever was nothing for Dirk Nowitzki? 

It was a high-stakes game for the Mavericks as well as the Miami Heat. Tension rose when the Mavs were down 2-1. It was a tough competition for the German legend, who was battling against the Heat and his 102-degree fever in Game 4. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James happened to stoke the flames when they seemingly faked coughs to tease him. And it didn’t turn out well for them.

Nowitzki’s former teammate, J.J. Barea, during his conversation on J.J. Redick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast, revealed that the German legend was upset over that gesture, and that explains what motivated him to go all-out in that game. “That tape really hurt him….but it gave him a little extra to finish them off,” he said.

He went on to drop 21 points and 11 rebounds to help the Dallas Mavericks secure an 86-83 win. He ultimately sealed the victory with a Game 6 win. Well, nearly a decade and a half later, it’s all in the past, but do the legends still have a feud? Before the 2023 Hall of Fame ceremonies, where both were honored, the two decided to clear the air.

“We sat together with his family during one of the dinners, and we talked. And so I think it’s going to be great,” Nowitzki said. While there might have been fierce rivalry between them in the past, it is more about mutual respect now.