By George Efkarpides / info@eurohoops.net
Dirk Nowitzki and Dwayne Wade bid their farewell on Sunday at the All-Star game, while receiving a warm reaction by teammates and fans that were in attendance.
Eurohoops chats with several NBA All-Stars who had the honor to play alongside the two legendary figures.
“It’s great being next to him, getting to know him off the court. He’s very humble, and so down to earth. He’s a huge influence on players coming from Europe. He opened the door for so many of us”, comments Nikola Vucevic.
Followingly, Kyrie Irving reflects on sharing space with Dwayne Wade and Dirk.
“It’s very important to be with them. Legends deserve to go our the way that they like to, so we all appreciate it. It’s not like anyone had second thoughts on them playing in the All-Star Game or anything”, said Irving with a smile.
“When I first started playing basketball, my coach had a tape of Dirk from the past, and that’s where I first saw his fadeaway move. When I started playing basketball, that was all I knew, and I loved him for these moves”, Embiid tells us.
“They are two legends I remember watching on tape, mimicking lots of their moves”, KAT adds in unison with Joel Embiid.
“I’m really honored to play next to Dirk, for all the things he’s done for the NBA and basketball. They raised [the bar] pretty high, so we have to follow them. Not only on the court but off the court too”, mentions Nikola Jokic focusing on Dirk’s legacy for Euro players.