Dirk Nowitzki said his time working for the Dallas Mavericks was “weird”, and he has some advice for number one pick Cooper Flagg.
The Dallas Mavericks legend, Dirk Nowitzki, won the franchise’s only championship in 2011, beating LeBron James and the Miami Heat in an NBA Finals upset. He tried to work for the Mavericks after his career, but he stepped away from the role.
The Mavericks shockingly traded Luka Doncic last season. Their front office, led by Nico Harrison, came under fire. Chants of “fire Nico” rang around the city, not just in the Mavericks’ arena.
Nowitzki recently revealed why working for the team was “weird”.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesDirk Nowitzki said working with the Dallas Mavericks was ‘weird’, so he stepped away from his role
Nowitzki, like former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, didn’t play a role in the Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. He stepped away from a day-to-day role with the franchise two years ago.
Speaking to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, he explained why, “I’m still sort of involved, but not really on the day-to-day. I tried that a couple of years ago. It was a little weird for me to be there and not really knowing my role.
“Since then, I’ve kind of pulled back a bit again. The last two years, I really haven’t been involved in anything front office related.”
Cuban said he hoped Doncic went 0-82 with the LA Lakers next season. Now that his former superstar is off the team, he doesn’t wish him success on the court. Nowitzki was a little more supportive of his former Dallas teammate, showing up for his Lakers debut.
The trade blindsided both Nowitzki and Cuban, but Nowitzki said he’s always there for his former team.
He continued, “Speaking of the Luka trade, I was as surprised and as shocked as everybody. I had no idea this was even in the works. Obviously, the Mavs know that I’m a phone call away if anything is ever needed.
“But of course, I will always be a Mavs guy. If there’s anything I can help with or if Cooper reaches out or needs me or has a question, I’m always a phone call away. For now, I don’t see me getting involved in any day-to-day business or management type of stuff.”
The 2011 champion also offered some advice to the Mavericks’ new number one pick, Cooper Flagg.
Dirk Nowitzki offers advice to Cooper Flagg
Following the Doncic trade, Dallas lucked into the number one pick of the 2025 Draft through the lottery. A generational talent in Flagg fell into their laps.
Flagg is expected to win straight away. He joins a talented cast alongside Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving: two aging stars with a short championship window. This could be the best team Flagg is on in a decade, as the Mavericks traded away their future draft picks in order to build around Doncic in 2024.
Nowitzki’s advice for Flagg? Learn, and learn quickly. He said, “The only thing is keep your eyes and ears open. Keep learning from your veterans. He’s got some incredible players on the team now with Kyrie, obviously Klay. AD’s been around forever. There’s so much knowledge there that he can tap into and learn from.
“Ask questions. How are their pregame routines? What do they eat? How do they prepare for events? What do they do with appearances? How do they interact with the media? That was key for me at the beginning, watching Michael Finley, who was a true pro. Steve Nash, learning from them.”
While joining a team with veteran stars comes with pressure, it’s also a priceless opportunity. Not only does he have incredible assets on the court, but Flagg can also learn from their expertise and experience off the court and settle quickly into NBA life.
It’s the perfect spot for the 18-year-old dubbed to be the NBA’s next superstar.