In recognizing the many coaches, players, staff members, family and friends that helped him in his career, Dirk Nowitzki thanked them all as pillars of his success. But before he stepped away from the podium Wednesday night on the American Airlines Center floor during his jersey retirement ceremony he had one more pillar to thank: the fans and city of Dallas.
It was the one time the soon-to-be hall of famer got noticeably emotional while speaking to the packed crowd. He said as much after the ceremony, “My speech was surprisingly good. I’ve worked on it for weeks now.