Despite the fact that the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals by a tally of four games to two, LeBron James says Dirk Nowitki is still one of his favorite basketball player of all time. It was Nowitzki’s first, and potentially last, championship. And for James, it was his first year in South Beach.
After falling to the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals, James sat down with his Cavaliers teammates, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, for a wide-ranging discussion on their hit podcast, “Road Trippin’ with R.J. and Channing.” During the conversation, the King had high praise for “der große Deutsche.”
“Dirk is the sh–,” James said. “One of my favorites of all time. Both on and off the court, he just seems so damn cool. I never got the opportunity to be around him, but he just seems like one of the greatest [expletive] guys ever.”
Just a few moments later, Jefferson, who played with Nowitzki as a member of the Mavericks, chimed in to offer his two cents.
“I played with (Dirk) for a year and when I tell you, who you imagine him to be, he’s that guy,” Jefferson said with a laugh. “He’s competitive as sh–, limited as sh– with his athleticism, finds it funny, and loves 90s old school hip hop.”
James, a three-time NBA champion, then dove a little deeper into his affinity for Nowitzki’s signature one-legged fadeaway shot.
“For me, just being a historian of the game, if you’re able to have guys in our league that are able to have a staple shot or a staple move that people take from you and then they say “yeah, I got that from that person,” James said. “Obviously the one-legged fadeaway is one of the most unguardable shot that this league has ever seen. And then you see the grace he does it with, the time that he puts in, the work that he puts in.
“I mean, so many people counted him out,” James continued. “He got traded on draft day. People don’t realize that. Then when he went to Dallas, things didn’t go well for him to start off — being in America and things of that nature. Just to see the player that he became, man, much respect. He’s always been one of my favorites, even–s***, took one of my rings away from me.”
It’s kind of like that old saying: “game recognize game.” In James’ case, he undoubtedly has the utmost respect for Nowitzki — a true NBA legend, who has racked up over 30,000 points over the course of his career.