Tag: Dirk Nowitzki

Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki praises growth of Rockets big man Alperen Sengun

Dirk Nowitzki on Alperen Sengun: “I’m really impressed by his game, honestly. The versatility, the passing, the scoring… he’s having an incredible season.”

Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets narrowly lost the battle in Tuesday’s close loss at Dallas, but the third-year center clearly earned respect from an all-time Mavericks and NBA legend.

Dirk Nowitzki, now in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has become something of a comparison for Sengun in recent weeks after the 21-year-old developed a fadeaway jump shot off one leg that reminds many of the Dallas legend’s iconic move.

At Tuesday’s game, in which Sengun finished with a team-high 31 points and 9 rebounds, Nowitzki spoke about his play with Vanessa Richardson of Houston’s Space City Home Network.

From Nowitzki, on Sengun:

It looks pretty good [the one-legged fadeaway shot]. Obviously, it’s a work in progress.

But I’m really impressed by his game, honestly. The versatility, the passing, the scoring… he’s having an incredible season. I’m happy for him. I’ve never really met him, but he seems like a good dude, every time I hear something from him. So, I’m really happy for him, and hopefully he can keep it up.

You want to get better from year to year. You want to go home in the offseason, work hard, add some stuff to your game… especially when you’re young, and come back a more complete player. That’s what he’s been doing with the year-to-year improvement, so I’m looking forward to him having an impact season.

Nowitzki, who won the 2010-11 championship with Dallas, is known as one of the best European big men in NBA history. To say the least, it’s a career arc that Sengun would love to emulate.

Richardson’s full interview with Nowitzki — who also had kind words for Houston’s growth as a team — can be viewed below.

“They made some key improvement with veteran players,” Nowitzki said of the 2023-24 Rockets to date. “That always helps. Of course, they need to improve on the road [0-7 record] a little bit, but they’re super tough at home [8-1]. So, after a couple disappointing years, they’re having a great season. Hopefully, they can keep it up.”

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Dirk Nowitzki reacted on-air as Alperen Sengun nailed his signature fadeaway jumper

They’re already calling him Turk Nowitzki.

Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is having a breakout season and may have earned a new fan (and nickname!) on Tuesday night.

Sengun, who is arguably having the best season of anyone in his draft class, enjoyed a big game against Houston’s in-state rival Dallas Mavericks during the final seeding game of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.

On the broadcast for the Mavericks was Basketball Hall of Fame power forward Dirk Nowitzki. So when Sengun hit a fadeaway jumper that looked awfully like what we would see from Nowitzki during his NBA career, fans got to hear an instant reaction from the longtime Dallas superstar.

Nowitzki called the shot “beautiful” and seemed legitimately impressed by Sengun’s shot.

But this wasn’t the first time we saw Sengun try the one-legged fadeaway during a game. He also recently used the move during a match against the Nuggets.

Sengun spoke about why he feels confident enough to take these attempts (via Chron.com):

“I worked all summer on that shot,” Şengün said. “I’m attacking good. When I’m dribbling I can be dangerous with that. And now players are scouting you and they give you that space now I can use that shot.”

“When I’m really dangerous in that shot it’s going to be difficult to guard me.”

If he keeps pulling this out with any level of success, the Turkish-born big man may earn the nickname “Turk Nowitzki” that is floating around Twitter.

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Who were the teams that passed on Paul Pierce in the draft – and did they regret it?

Nine teams passed on The Truth on draft night in 1998; thanked in his basketball hall induction, which regretted it most?

When Boston Celtics Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the former Kansas standout made a point of thanking each and every team that passed him over in favor of another prospect on draft night in 1998.

Explaining how he used the snub as motivation, Pierce said, “Coming out of college, I was a first-team All-American, a projected No. 2 pick,” continuing on by naming every franchise that doubted him. “Thank you for passing on me and adding fuel to my fire,” he explained. “I appreciate that.”

But who were those teams, and who did they go with instead? Let’s look back at the top nine picks of that draft, and whether there were any teams that didn’t end up regretting their selection.

Rick Pitino was going to take Dirk Nowitzki before Paul Pierce fell in the 1998 NBA draft

Former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino was targeting Dirk Nowitzki before taking Paul Pierce in the 1998 draft, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Franchise icon Hall of Famer Paul Pierce was with the Boston Celtics for 15 years, picking up All-Star appearances in 10 of those seasons. He averaged fewer than 18 points per game once during his tenure in Boston: his rookie season. The Truth was, for all intents and purposes, a stud. He almost did not come to Boston as Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix wrote in his story on the Celtics’ legend.

Before Pierce was drafted No. 10 overall in 1998, then-head coach Rick Pitino had been targeting Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki with the pick, he told Mannix. He went as far as telling Nowitzki to skip the draft combine and called up Red Auerbach, longtime Celtics head coach, to help seal the deal.

“I went home,” said Pitino, “thinking we had our guy.”

A.C. Green: Anthony Davis has a little Dirk Nowitzki and Karl Malone in him

Former Laker A.C. Green made an interesting comparison between Anthony Davis and two star power forwards from yesteryear.

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When he’s healthy, Los Angeles Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis is one of the NBA’s very best players. But he is also one of its unique players.

At 6-foot-10, he has the type of guard skills rarely seen in a player his size. But he can also bang down low like a traditional big man. And, of course, he is a beast defensively and on the boards, which Lakers opponents saw firsthand in the 2023 playoffs.

Former Lakers forward A.C. Green was asked by Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson while on “Scoop B Selects” who in his era reminded him of Davis. Green responded by comparing Davis to Dirk Nowitzki and Karl Malone.

“A.D. has a little bit of Dirk Nowitzki in him,” said Green. “He has a little bit of Karl Malone from a power standpoint at times in the paint. He plays big and dominant, but he was one of those big guys that almost was the big trend. Kevin Garnett, who can be powerful but also has that perimeter, he’s got his own little teeth in his own little niche, so you gotta like that.”

Garnett is another former big man who is at least somewhat comparable to Davis because of his all-around game, athleticism and defensive dominance. However, Davis may be a better scorer than Garnett was. Garnett never averaged 25 points a game in a season, something Davis has done five times in 11 years.

Most recent Notre Dame players to be NBA draft selections

All of these players did the Irish proud before making the jump.

Nobody on Notre Dame’s veteran-laden team from this past season will be selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, given the inexperience across the board on the upcoming season’s roster and under a new coach no less, it could be quite a while before we see another Notre Dame player drafted. On the bright side, that means no early departures except via the transfer portal. Then again, it sure would be nice to have NBA-ready talent in South Bend.

The only way to deal with a challenging present and short-term future is to look to the past. In this case, the way to go about that is to look at former players who heard their names called on draft night over the past several years. Of the 62 former Notre Dame players who have suited up in the NBA or ABA, 41 have entered professional basketball via the draft. Here are the most recent ones:

Draymond Green earns ‘Draymond Nowitzki’ nickname after clutch jumper in Game 5 vs. Kings

“Draymond Nowitzki.”

In his first game back at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento since being ejected from Game 2, Draymond Green registered a vintage performance when the Golden State Warriors needed it most in a pivotal Game 5 on the road. 

The former Defensive Player of the Year stuffed the boxscore with a season-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, four steals and a block in 32 minutes off the bench on Wednesday. Green even stretched the floor against the Kings, drilling a triple from beyond the arc. Green’s last 21-point performance came on Christmas day against the Houston Rockets in 2019. 

Following his impressive performance in Game 5, the former All-Star earned a new nickname from his teammates and coaches. While praising Green during the postgame press conference on Wednesday, Steve Kerr revealed the forward was being called “Draymond Nowitzki” after knocking down a clutch fadeaway down the stretch in the fourth quarter. 

Draymond was amazing, especially down the stretch. They were calling him ‘Draymond Nowitzki’ after the fadeaway. It was maybe the biggest shot of the game. That and Wiggs hit a fadeaway as well. Those two shots probably were the two that stood out. Obviously Steph and Klay — there were a lot of big shots made in the game, but those two stand out to me when Sacramento played really good defense and those guys knocked down shots at key times. 

Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter: 

Green’s jumper that later earned a reference to NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki came with under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 5. With the shot clock ticking down, Green hit a fading jumper from the key over Harrison Barnes to stretch the Warriors’ lead to three points heading into the final minutes of the game. 

Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter: 

During the first-round playoff series against the Kings, Green is averaging 11.3 points on 42.9% shooting from the floor with 7.5 assists. 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 31.9 minutes per game. 

With a 3-2 lead in the series, the Warriors will have the chance to close out the Kings on Friday in Game 5 at Chase Center against the Kings.  

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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LeBron James congratulates Dwyane Wade on being Hall of Fame finalist

LeBron James gave some love to his former Miami Heat championship teammate for getting one step closer to entering the Hall of Fame.

On Friday, the finalists for the 2023 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame were announced, and it is a mighty impressive group.

Perhaps the most impressive member of the finalists is Dwyane Wade, the legendary shooting guard who played the vast majority of his 16-year career with the Miami Heat.

Four of those seasons in Miami came alongside LeBron James, and in each of those seasons, the team made it to the NBA Finals. It captured back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Wade and James also played half a season together on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017-18 campaign.

Also among the finalists are two more men linked to James: Gregg Popovich, the longtime coach of the San Antonio Spurs who faced him three times in the finals, and Dirk Nowitzki, who defeated James and Wade in the 2011 championship series.

The four-time MVP gave Wade, Popovich and Nowitzki their flowers on social media.

The inductees will be announced during the NCAA Final Four in April.

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The Mavericks unveiled a perfect statue for Dirk Nowitzki, featuring his signature fadeaway jumper

This is immediately one of the best statues in sports.

After retiring his jersey number earlier this year, the Dallas Mavericks honored Dirk Nowitzki with a statue outside American Airlines Center.

Nowitzki, who won the NBA MVP in 2007 and NBA Finals MVP in 2011, is widely considered one of the most important and influential players in league history.

It was only a matter of time until the Mavericks, the only NBA team that he ever played for during his storied career, honored the 14-time All-Star with a statue commemorating his contributions to the team.

But it was an especially wonderful tribute to Nowitzki, who now officially serves as a special advisor for the Mavericks:

Nowitzki was known for his signature fadeaway jump shot, and that was immortalized with his statue outside of the arena in Dallas. The statue was inscribed with the motto “Loyalty Never Fades Away” (which is 21 letters, one for each season he spent with the team).

Even though it is the most obvious way to tip your hat to Nowitzki, Mark Cuban and the Mavericks totally knocked it out of the park. The details are phenomenal, even getting the exact shoes he wore while connecting on his one-legged fadeaway.

Just take a look at this photo and you will see why it immediately became one of the best statues in sports:

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