A superb statue of the famous player of the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, has been installed at the entrance of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, to the glory of the German star of the Texas franchise, honoured before the NBA game against the Lakers (124-115) Sunday, December 25.

The white bronze statue, measuring more than 7 m, represents him performing his favourite gesture, the step-back, on one foot at the time of arming his shot, which made him a player often impossible to defend.

This metal recognition is not the first received by the German interior in Dallas. The 2011 NBA champion already had a street named after him in front of the franchise’s hall in Dallas, while his number, 41, was permanently removed last January.

On the base of the statue, it is possible to read the inscription “Loyalty never fades away”. The sentence, composed of 21 letters, refers to the loyalty of the German, who will have known only one franchise in 21 years of his NBA career, before retiring in 2019.

Dirk Nowitzki won the NBA title in 2011, 14 times All-Star, he was also the first European elected MVP of the regular season (2006-2007), and is, still today, the sixth-best scorer in the history of the North American League.

There are other great players who also have their own statues: Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Jerry West in front of the former Lakers Center in Los Angeles (waiting for Kobe Bryant’s statue), Michael Jordan in Chicago and Wilt Chamberlain in Philadelphia.