When Dirk cried, we all cried with him.
He was standing at mid-court, ready for play to resume after a timeout in the second quarter. A video had just finished highlighting Dirk’s community work, most notably his visits every holiday season at Dallas Children’s Hospital. The video ended and the arena erupted, like it had all night.
As everyone stood and cheered, Dirk’s eyes welled up. He rubbed them with his jersey, much like he did as he hurried off the court after winning his NBA title in 2011. After that didn’t work, he hunched over with his hands on his knees, standing alone at mid-court, as the crowd just got louder and louder.