TRAGIC NEWS: About 45 minutes ago, Trey kidd the son of the Dallas Mavericks’ head coach, passed away.

Dirk Nowitzki’s iconic NBA career is inseparable from his No. 41 Dallas Mavericks jersey. Recently, he unveiled the reason behind his choice of this particular number.

Before the NBA Playoffs Second Round game between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dirk Nowitzki, a German Hall of Famer, made an appearance on the Inside the NBA on TNT show. During his time on the show, he shared the story behind his jersey number choice, which had a significant connection to Charles Barkley, one of the show’s hosts.

Nowitzki explained that he initially wore number 11 in basketball because his father had worn the same number while playing handball. However, his admiration for Charles Barkley led him to switch to number 14, which Barkley wore during the Olympics in Barcelona. Nowitzki expressed his fondness for Barkley, stating that he was a beloved figure in the basketball community during that era.

When Nowitzki joined the German national team, he continued to wear number 14. However, upon entering the NBA and joining the Dallas Mavericks, he encountered a hurdle in obtaining the same number. Robert Pack, who already wore number 14 for the Mavericks, refused to give it up, prompting Nowitzki to settle for flipping the digits and adopting number 41 instead.

Nowitzki reflected on this experience, recalling Pack’s reluctance to relinquish the number and the compromise he made by choosing a variation of it. Despite this initial setback, Nowitzki went on to establish himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history, leaving a lasting legacy with his iconic jersey number.