Former Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dirk Nowitzki gets real on one team he used to hate

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated 8/12/23

Dirk Nowitzki was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. With the Dallas Mavericks superstar’s legacy now immortalized in Springfield, he can freely open up about whatever his heart desires — including his hatred of the San Antonio Spurs.

During the Hall of Fame induction press conference, Nowitzki was asked about being in the same class as Spurs legends Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich.

“I’m not going to lie. I used to hate the Spurs. It was just every year, they were so good. Every year, for so long they were kind of beating us up. They were the big brother until we finally broke through in ’06, we beat them for the first time in the playoffs. … I was never a huge Spurs fan, I’ve got to say.”

Nothing but respect between Dirk and the Spurs

: The #23HoopClass enshrinement
: Tomorrow
: 8pm/et on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/ih84frgx8S

— NBA (@NBA) August 11, 2023

Nowitzki had a lifetime series record of 2-4 when his Mavs took on the Spurs in the postseason. San Antonio eliminated Dallas twice to begin the Nowitzki era — during the 2001 and 2003 seasons — before Dallas returned the favor in 2006 during their run to the NBA Finals.

Nowitzki finished his career with averages of 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest across 1522 total games. He also posted stellar averages of 47.1% from the field, 38.0% from the three-point arc, and 87.9% from the free throw line.

The Mavs star finished with a 29-49 record in 78 regular season games played against the Spurs throughout his 21-year career.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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