Dirk Nowitzki Reveals Gruesome Details on Caron Butler’s 2011 Knee Injury: 'This Guy's Built Different'

"And then New Year's Day, I'll never forget. We're in Milwaukee - that's where Caron is from - and I'm sitting out in a suit because I'm not playing, and Caron goes up for a rebound and just screams and lays on the ground."

What Nowitzki saw next was something he wasn't prepared for, but it showed him just how tough Butler was.

"So we're all rushing over there, and I see, literally... he tore his patella tendon, and his kneecap had dislocated, so it sat on top of his thigh. I'm like trying to dry heave, it was nasty, and so our trainer is like 'oh my God, oh my God, we need wheelchair, wheelchair,'" Nowitzki said.

"And that was one of the toughest things I've seen. I mean, Caron is pretty tough, so he heard 'wheelchair,' and he's from Wisconsin, his grandmother was there, his family. He was like, 'I'm not getting out of her in a wheelchair.' So I watched him push his kneecap down by himself ... and he walked out on his own power. I said, 'this guy's built different.'"

The Mavs went on to complete a magical title run that season, going through the likes of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol's two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden's up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh's star-studded Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

Butler was unfortunately never the same player after that injury, even though he played five more seasons with five different teams before retiring, but his contributions to the Mavs both on and off the court were greatly appreciated by his teammates. And most importantly, he still ended up with a championship ring ... and he has a pretty cool story to go along with it.