Mavs Ex Coach Carlisle on Dirk: 'Greatest Superstar Teammate'

As Dirk Nowitzki's induction into the Hall of Fame approaches, Rick Carlisle reminisces on coaching the Mavs legend.

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki will be crossing off the final item on his basketball career’s to-do list this coming weekend by becoming a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 

As Nowitzki prepares to be inducted in Springfield, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com conducted interviews with people close to Nowitzki's career in a Hall of Fame profile, which included some glowing words from former Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.

“He was the greatest superstar teammate that I’ve ever seen,” Carlisle said. "He had a really humble demeanor, he knew who he was, he knew what his responsibility was."

Not every superstar is built the same. Not every leader on a championship team has to be your stereotypical overbearing alpha. For Nowitzki, he went about leadership and being the face of the franchise in his own way, which worked out for him and the Mavericks. 

Shawn Marion, Nowitzki's teammate of five seasons including during the 2011 championship run, spoke on The Big German's non-existent ego when it came to the ultimate goal: winning. 

"His ego never got in the way of what the biggest goal was," Marion said. "He's a quiet leader. And he had a bit of a joker side to him too."

With his level of humility and loyalty to Dallas, which eventually led to him hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2011, Nowitzki solidified himself as one of the most important faces of Dallas sports, and he is easily the most important and loved athlete this city has ever had. 

"Dirk became very Americanized," Carlisle said, "where Germany and Europe could feel like he was theirs, and the people of Dallas could feel like he was theirs. And no one needed to fight about it."

Though his legendary career faded off into the sunset while giving the keys to the franchise to Luka Doncic, Dirk Nowitzki will forever be one with the Dallas Mavericks like no other.

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