The City of Dallas honored retired Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki by naming a street after him today. City officials, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and others gathered at American Airlines Center to unveil "Nowitzki Way."
The ceremony was moved inside due to weather.
Fans like Olivia Schott came to Victory Park see the historic moment. She says Nowitzki's commitment to the city and community make him special.
"He can really connect with people ... he's grounded so everybody loves that," Schott said.
Lorenzo Tostado of Dallas brought his long sought after Nowitzki jersey to the ceremony.
"He'll always he legendary for Dallas," Tostado said.
The new Nowitzki Way is a quarter mile stretch of Olive Street next to the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Dallas City Council voted unanimously last month to rename part of the street after Nowitzki. Efforts were spearheaded by Mayor Pro Tem and Mavericks fan Adam Medrano.
And finally, the unveiling of #DirkKnowitzkiWay on this cold, cloudy day in Dallas! @keranews pic.twitter.com/SmdTr67x5y
— Stella M. Chávez (@stellamchavez) October 30, 2019
Nowitzki retired in April after playing 21 seasons with the Mavericks. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has praised Nowitzki’s “legendary” performance on the court and philanthropic efforts off the court.
“Since he came to Dallas from Germany more than two decades ago, Dirk has made a tremendous impact on our city,” Johnson said in a statement. “It is fitting that we are renaming a street to honor him both as a person and as the greatest Maverick of all time.”
Stella M. Chávez, Domini Davis, Gabrielle Jones and Miguel Perez contributed to this report.
