By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
Dirk Nowitzki was approached by former teammate Steve Nash to join his coaching staff when the latter got the job to take over the Brooklyn Nets. The German great declined the offer for two specific reasons.
Nowitzki feels so attached to the Mavericks that he doesn’t believe he could work with any other team other than the one he spent the entirety of his 21-year career and won a championship with. And then, there’s the “Family uber Alles” part, combined with the fact that he simply doesn’t want to be involved with basketball right now.
“First of all, I don’t know if I could do it anywhere but here,” Nowitzki said to Dallas Mavericks News. “That’s of course first. Second, I just think the timing is not right. I love being with the family. I’m so over basketball at this point that it wasn’t even a thought for me.”
Nowitzki retired in 2019, 21 years after joining the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. Throughout his stint with Dallas, he led them to the 2011 championship title (also winning Finals MVP) and was named NBA MVP in 2007, while collecting numerous individual distinctions.
Nash joined the Mavericks via a trade in 1998 right when a 20-year-old Dirk was arriving in Dallas. The two played together until 2004 when Nash returned to the Suns. They remained longtime opponents with numerous battles in the Western Conference but remained good friends.