Every now and then a bombshell is dropped that stays with a person for the rest of their life. They remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when these monumental moments take place. The last sports instance to meet this criteria was the completely unexpected February trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, which saw Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, among others, swap uniforms.
In an age where rumors are funneled out ad nauseam, the NBA world was completely blindsided by this mega move. The same goes for Hall of Famer and Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, who has mentored Doncic since the two shared a locker room together during the 2018-19 season. His peaceful family vacation was interrupted by a flood of texts and calls, prompting the 2011 NBA Finals MVP to do more digging online.
But no matter how many posts he sifted through, Nowitzki could not comprehend the earth-shattering news that his beloved Mavericks just shipped out a 25-year-old superstar (26th birthday was on Feb. 28) who competed in the Finals and led the league in scoring the previous year. He needed some time to gather himself.
“I was shocked,” Nowitzki told his sister, Silke Mayer, on the “41 Campus” podcast, per BasketNews.com. “We were in the Maldives, just relaxing at the beach. It was literally the last day, and I was in my room, about to pack my things. Then suddenly, my phone exploded with calls and messages from all over the world.
“I was so stunned that I just put everything aside. We were supposed to go for a quick lunch with the family before flying out, but instead, I sat in my room for an hour, scrolling through X, trying to figure out if it was real.”
Luka Doncic was supposed to be a Mavericks player for life
The 2018-19 campaign was supposed to signify a fitting passing of the torch. The quintessential Mavs player and arguably the greatest European basketball talent in NBA history retires and hands the crown to a rookie predicted to reach or surpass that remarkable standard.
Now, Dallas does not have a long-term franchise cornerstone, and its current roster has been decimated by injuries. Kyrie Irving is done for the rest for the year with a torn ACL and Anthony Davis is still working his way back from a strained left abductor.
Conversely, Luka Doncic is helping the Lakers (41-25) vie for second place in the largely bunched-up Western Conference. Dirk Nowitzki still needs time to adjust to this new reality.
“It was just an unbelievably bizarre moment for me,” the 46-year-old German said. “And of course, it’s going to take weeks and months before it starts to feel a little more normal.”
Nowitzki remains a staunch supporter of both the Mavericks and Doncic, even attending the guard’s Lakers debut on Feb. 10. Most people will move on from the historic trade at some point, but because the four-time First-Team All-NBA selection has strong ties with both parties, the shock may never truly wear off.
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