The German power forward, Dirk Nowitzki, the great legend of the Mavericks, explains his feelings after the headline-grabbing transfer.
Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest legend in Dallas Mavericks history, has spoken for the first time since the shocking trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers—a move that was, at the very least, a monumental gamble by the Mavericks’ front office. It also marked a stunning break from the franchise’s long-standing tradition, one enshrined in the inscription on the statue of the German great outside the American Airlines Center: “Loyalty never fades away.”
That phrase plays on Nowitzki’s signature move—the one-legged fadeaway jumper—which tormented NBA defenses for 21 seasons (1998-2019). No player has worn a single jersey longer. Kobe Bryant and Udonis Haslem spent 20 years with the Lakers and Heat, respectively, but Nowitzki’s 21-year run with Dallas remains unmatched. The torch seemed to have been passed seamlessly: Dončić arrived in 2018, Nowitzki retired in 2019. One European superstar to another—only this time, the ceiling looked even higher.
Loyalty never fades away… until it did. The Mavericks shattered that cycle with one of the most unexpected and controversial trades in NBA history. And Nowitzki’s quiet but powerful reaction spoke volumes: the night the Mavs played their first home game after the deal—in a seething atmosphere—he was in Los Angeles, sitting in the stands at Crypto.com Arena, watching Dončić’s debut in purple and gold.
Now, speaking on Dallas radio station 96.7 The Ticket, Nowitzki finally explained his reaction:
“When I heard about the trade, I was really sad for Luka—really disappointed. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting something like that. He invited me to be there for his first game in L.A., and I felt like I had to go, to support him. I played with him during my final season in the NBA, and we became really good friends. I’ve always tried to be a mentor, to help him however I could. He’s a great guy. So I felt like my place
“Everyone was saying how tough it was for him, how upset he obviously was. So I wanted to be there, to support him, to be with his family.”
The situation was, of course, deeply strange. Like any Western Conference star who never played for the Lakers, Nowitzki had his own history of battles with the franchise.
“You saw my face—it was weird… Surreal, honestly, to see Luka in that jersey. Obviously, I’m never going to be a Lakers fan. But I’ll always be a Luka fan. So I liked being there, seeing him, standing by his side.”
At the time of the trade, Nowitzki was on vacation with his family—on the other side of the world.
“I was in the Maldives, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with a 12-hour time difference… I was so far away, and suddenly my phone was about to explode. We were about to sit down for a meal before heading back, and my phone went crazy. I checked my social media, and I guess I felt the same thing as everyone else—pure shock.
“I spent over an hour just staring at my phone, trying to make sure it was real. I couldn’t believe it—I was just trying to process something that left me absolutely stunned. Like everybody else.”
Finally, Nowitzki addressed why Dončić felt so devastated, even betrayed, when the deal became official:
“I think he wanted to have a career like mine—to finish the way I did,” he said, referencing his two decades with a single team. That dream is over.
Nowitzki remains the greatest Maverick of all time. But Dončić? He’ll try to become a legend in the franchise of legends—the Los Angeles Lakers.