The statue of Dirk Nowitzki (nicknamed "The Fadeaway") is located in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, United States. The 23-foot (7.0 m) white bronze statue portrays former Dallas Mavericks basketball player Dirk Nowitzki shooting his signature one-legged fadeaway shot. Design began in 2019 and it was unveiled to the public on December 25, 2022.
 The statue depicts Nowitzki shooting his signature one-legged fadeaway | |
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| 32°47′21.4″N 96°48′32.8″W / 32.789278°N 96.809111°W | |
| Location | PNC Plaza in front of American Airlines Center Dallas, Texas, US |
|---|---|
| Designer | Omri Amrany |
| Type | Statue |
| Material | White bronze |
| Height | 23 feet (7.0 m) |
| Weight | >9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) |
| Beginning date | Spring 2019 |
| Opening date | December 25, 2022 |
| Dedicated to | Dirk Nowitzki |
| Nickname | "The Fadeaway" |
Background
editPlans for the statue began in the spring of 2019. At Nowitzki's final home game, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban promised that Nowitzki would receive "the biggest, most bad-ass statue ever."[1][2] Upon hearing this, sports statue sculptor Omri Amrany repeatedly attempted to contact Cuban via phone and email to be chosen as the sculptor.[1]
Design
editThe sculpture depicts Nowitzki in mid-jump about to make "the perfect shot". During the design process, Amrany consulted several people; Nowitzki's wife Jessica, who had previously been a professional in the art industry, was the one who initiated the idea for the accordion-shaped base. Holger Geschwindner, Nowitzki's longtime coach, mentor, and friend, was also involved in helping design the statue body; he taught Amrany that the ideal angle of launch trajectory on Nowitzki's fadeaway was 47–50 degrees.[1] Nowitzki himself also heavily participated in the design; among other things, he chose the motto inscribed at the base: "Loyalty never fades away", which is a homage to Nowitzki having spent all 21 of his playing seasons with the Mavericks, an NBA record.[3]
The statue is made of white bronze, which is unusual for sports statues.[1] Nowitzki is represented wearing the shoes and uniform he wore en route to leading the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship, the franchise's lone title.[2] A prototype revealed at Nowitzki's January 2022 jersey retirement had three interconnected balls showing the shooting trajectory, though this feature was met with sharp criticism[4][5] (particularly on Twitter) and later scrapped; the final version only has one ball.[6] According to SMU physics professor Fredrick Olness, the statue is able to stay in place despite its lopsided and unbalanced appearance because the center of mass is at the base.[7]
Unveiling and display
edit| External videos | |
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 Dirk Statue Unveiling Ceremony via YouTube |
The 20-minute unveiling ceremony occurred prior to a Mavericks game against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 25, 2022; Nowitzki and his 7-year-old son shifted a lever to cause the large canvas to lift, revealing the statue. Nowitzki's parents and sister were also at the ceremony, having traveled from their homeland Germany to be in attendance.[3] It is located in front of the American Airlines Center in the PNC Plaza. At nighttime, the statue is sometimes lit up in the Mavericks deep blue color.[8] According to The Sporting News, Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway shot immortalized on the statue is considered to be "one of the most iconic signature shots that the NBA has ever seen."[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Dameris, Brian (December 25, 2022). "Meet the Man Who Designed Dirk Nowitzki's Statue". D Magazine. Dallas, Texas: D Magazine Partners. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ a b MacMahon, Tim (December 25, 2022). "Mavericks unveil statue of franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki". ESPN. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Townsend, Brad (December 25, 2022). "'Loyalty never fades away': Mavs unveil Dirk Nowitzki statue, honor signature shot". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Tim (January 6, 2022). "The Dirk Statue Is, Um, Not Great". D Magazine. D Magazine Partners. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Haney, Addie (January 6, 2022). "The rendering for the Dirk Nowitzki statue was revealed at his jersey retirement celebration, and the internet had some thoughts". Dallas, Texas: WFAA. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Dirk Nowitzki statue unveiled outside of American Airlines Center". Dallas, Texas: KDFW. December 25, 2022. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Mooney, Michael (January 11, 2023). "How the Dirk statue stays upright: An Axios investigation". Axios. Dallas, Texas. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ Sayson, Homer D. (May 30, 2024). "NBA Diary: Dirk's statue, KAT heroics and Wolves exec's PBA past". Spin.ph. Quezon City, Metro Manila. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ McGregor, Gilbert (November 8, 2023). "Dirk Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway will live forever as a Hall of Fame contribution to the game". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.