Blazer For Life? Damian Lillard Was Inspired By Dirk Nowitzki

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Blazer For Life? Damian Lillard Was Inspired By Dirk Nowitzki

 

Loyalty is a dying art in the world of sports. Players like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki are the last breed of NBA stars to never “jump ship” and leave when their team is not performing up to par. The ability to remain a part of a losing team is something only the best can do; not particularly skill wise, but mentally.

Dirk Nowitzki holds the league record for most seasons played with one team.

Whenever Dirk was a free agent, he was wating for free agency to be almost over, in order to set his salary accordingly. He sacrificed a lot of money, simply because he wanted to play with a competitive roster. 2006’s most valuable player was basically paying other players’ salaries (Parsons, Chandler etc…) out of his own pocket.

This is why Dirk is a hero in the city of Dallas. It is and will forever remain his town. Nowitzki now even has a street named for him in front of the Mavericks’ American Airlines Arena.

Dirk’s loyalty and the loyalty Dallas gave back to Dirk is something Damian Lillard draws inspiration from.

Per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:

 

“He just stayed with it. I respect what Dirk did. Like, I see that and I’m like, ‘It’ll be worth it. I know it was worth it for him,’ you know what I’m saying? Like, he’ll be forever, ever, ever respected in Dallas and in the league. So that’s like what I see from myself.”

 

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