On Saturday, the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation held its 7th annual Tennis Classic at Banner House at T Bar M, and Nowitzki, a Pro Basketball Hall of Famer, discussed what the event means to him, Cooper Flagg, and the upcoming Mavs’ NBA season.
The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation focuses on helping children in the North Texas community affected by poverty, abuse and illness through programs focused on education, health and wellbeing.
Devin Harris talks Nowitzki on Amazon Prime
Nowitzki is preparing to join Amazon Prime’s new NBA studio show, which will include Taylor Rooks and Steve Nash, among others.
Former Mavs guard Devin Harris attended the tennis classic on Saturday and explained what he thought Nowitzki would bring to NBA coverage.
“He has a unique voice for it. I think his tone. I’m really interested to see the dynamic between him and Steve. And we’ve had him on the broadcast a couple of times, and he kind of brings the couch feel to it, but makes it feel professional. And I think that’s going to be really unique ... something different that we haven’t seen before,” said Harris.
Steven Nash, Nowitzki give thoughts on Flagg, Mavs
Nowitzki explained what he thought of Flagg, who also attended on Saturday but did not play in the tennis classic.
“The way he reads the game already at that age, being barely, barely 18, athletic, skills, I heard the work ethic is through the roof, Nowitzki said. “So everything that I’ve seen and heard is that, you know, he’s the real deal,” said Nowitzki.
“He can score the ball in multiple ways, he can defend multiple players, and so I think he’s super versatile already at his super young age, which is rare. And so, yeah, looking forward to him his rookie year and see how he can adjust to them, to the NBA.”
Former Nowitzki teammate, Steve Nash was also in attendance and explained why Flagg was in a unique situation as opposed to most No. 1 draft picks.
“He’s a great talent, but, you know, he’s going to a winning team, so to be an efficient basketball player at an early stage of his career, it’s kind of a different look for the first pick, “ Nash said. “You know, usually the first pick goes somewhere, gets to make a ton of mistakes, be a volume shooter. He’s going to come in and maybe lean more into like the Swiss Army knife, part of his game where he can guard, he can cut, he can handle, he can play big, you know, he’s not going to have to prove he’s a No. 1 scorer necessarily at the gates, which is kind of different than we’re used to.
“So I think it’s going to be a fascinating kind of learning curve for him to fit into a winning team, kind of play winning and efficient basketball.”
Nash also explained why he came out to support Nowitzki’s foundation. “I have no choice, he’s one of my best friends,” joked Nash, “But honestly, they do great work with the foundation. So always try to support our friends, family, but when people are also making an impact in the community, you always try to help regardless.
“So, really proud of the work that his family, his foundation is doing to impact communities, particularly here in Dallas, in Texas. So it’s awesome to be here.”
The Mavs will carry title expectations into next season despite missing the playoffs last season, and are having a busy summer, signing several players to long-term extensions.
The Mavs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, have the 13th-best odds to win the NBA Championship and will have to do so without Kyrie Irving, who will begin the season sidelined while recovering from a torn ACL.
The Mavs will start the season against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at American Airlines Center.