Dallas Mavericks Reveal Dirk Nowitzki Fadeaway Statue

Ahead of their Christmas home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks took time to immortalize an NBA legend. Unveiled outside the American Airlines Center is a new 24-foot statue depicting Dirk Nowitzki performing his signature one-legged fadeaway.

As the only NBA player in history to spend 21 seasons in the same franchise, Dirk Nowitzki is already celebrated in Dallas with a street named after him near the home stadium and his jersey retired in the rafters. The new sculpture comes courtesy of sculptor Omri Armrany who's created statues of other NBA stars such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

"It was emotional," commented Nowitzki. "When the thing went up, felt like the sun was just perfect today, just shining right on it."

Etched on the base of the statue is a theme picked by Nowitzki consisting of 21 letters, matching his 21 seasons with the Mavericks: "Loyalty never fades away."

"They picked the right move. I don’t think they were going to use the swipe (on defense) or him passing the ball. You see his stats on passing? He was a ball hog," Nowitzki's ex-teammate Jason Kidd joked following the unveiling.

In other news, the Argentina Central Bank is considering honoring Lionel Messi with his own banknote.