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Not your average big man: Looking back at Dirk Nowitzki's greatness on the brink of NBA history

When he used to be nothing more than a season-ticket holder with expensive seats at Reunion Arena, Mark Cuban thought the same thing you did if you were one of those unfortunate Maverick fans of the late '90s.

He saw Don Nelson get a young German kid with bad hair named Dirk Nowitzki in a Dallas uniform and assumed the worst.

"I didn't watch that closely," Cuban said of Nowitzki's rookie season. "I went (to games) to have fun and drink beer and take dates. Honestly, before I bought the team and started paying attention, I thought he was just another big white guy from Europe that Nellie brought in.