Plans are in the works to get a street near American Airlines Center in Dallas renamed after Dirk Nowitzki. While that is a great honor, the modest Nowitzki unsurprisingly feels somewhat embarrassed about it.
Nowitzki joined the Dennis and Cowlishaw show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM recently and talked about the street.
“That’s almost a little embarrassing for me, it’s almost too much,” Nowitzki said. “I came and I wanted to do my job every day, and that’s entertaining people and winning and enjoying doing it, so I’m really appreciative and humbled that people enjoyed that and liked what they saw.”
The plan is to rename a stretch of Olive Street that runs near the arena “Nowitzki Way.” The measure still has to be approved by the Dallas City Council, which could happen within the next few months.
A letter by the city councilmen who brought up the idea shares why they wanted to make the move.
“He demonstrates the highest levels of compassion, honesty, teamwork, respect and integrity in both his personal and professional life, and he has served as a global ambassador for the City of Dallas throughout his 21 years with the Mavericks,” the letter reads.
Dirk retired at the end of the season after 21 seasons in the NBA. He was a first-round pick in 1998 and played his entire career for the Mavericks, bringing them a championship in 2011. He is a former league MVP, Finals MVP, and 14-time All-Star. In addition to all of his honors, he is a lock for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Getting a street named after him would be well-deserved.
