Nowitzki praised Flag for being a true name and looking forward to the healthy Mavericks showing off their strength in the West

Translator's note: The original text was published in The Athletic. The data in the article were as of the original text (September 14 local time). The date and time involved were Dallas local time. On Saturday, when the Mavericks' legendary figure stretched out his 7-foot (about 2.13 meters) to serve, the team's leading star was sitting a few meters away to provide him with spiritual support.

Dec Nowitzki, the NBA Hall of Fame member who played for the Mavericks for 21 seasons, participated in his charitable fundraising event at the Banner House Tennis Court in T Bar M. Cooper Flag, the Mavericks' 18-year-old rookie who was selected by the No. 1 pick at this year's draft, is one of the VIP guests of this star-studded event.

Flag did not pick up the racket, but he came to help Nowitzki raise funds for children who struggled with disease, poverty, abuse and neglect. When asked about Flag's player, Nowitzki made no secret of his thoughts.

"There is no doubt that the heated discussions about him are worthy of the name," Nowitzki said of Flag, "In general, I don't pay much attention to college sports, whether it's basketball or anything else, but I certainly follow Cooper. Honestly, the sky is his limit."

"What I see is the way he reads games at his age. (He) is just 18, has a strong athleticism and is skilled. I heard that he is extremely dedicated. Everything I see and hear shows that he is real."

Flag's comprehensiveness is part of the reason why he is so high-profile. At Duke, he leads the team with scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. He ranks second in the team in terms of blocks, second only to center Carman Maluach, who is also a lottery pick.

"I hope the Mavericks fans can have (Frager) for a long time," said Nowitzki.

The Mavericks won Nowitzki through a draft night trade in 1998. He admits that the process of adapting to the NBA and a new country is difficult. Nowitzki, who grew up in Germany, said he wasn't sure he could win a second contract - but he ended up getting much more than that. He won the NBA championship in 2011 and after 31,560 points in his career (sixth in history), his No. 41 jersey was retired in 2022.

"I got into this community when I first got here. I didn't know what to expect," Nowitzki said. "The love, support and loyalty I received in the first few years meant everything to me."

Nowitzki will open a new chapter this fall as an Amazon studio commentator. He will analyze the game and have fun interactions with his former teammate and close friend Steve Nash, and his equally good-family former Clippers "Flying Man" Blake Griffin.

Nowitzki retired from the NBA in 2019. As he approached the end of his career and began to think about his next step, he never thought he would become a media person. He said Amazon's studio programs will take some time to get on track. Nowitzki has been a big fan of TNT's popular show Inside the NBA, which is co-hosted by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.

"I have been following that show for a long time. It's hard to replicate," Nowitzki said. "Charles speaks without restraint, and Shaq does whatever he wants. I don't think we can replicate a show like that. I think we have to find our own way to have fun and analyze it."

Mavericks fans have already gained some understanding of Nowitzki's performance in the live broadcast. In November 2023, he joined the Mavericks' broadcast team and explained the team's entire game against the Rockets at the beginning of the season. Nowitzki's former teammate and now one of the Mavericks' commentary guests, Devin Harris, said that while maintaining profound insights, Nowitzki also communicates easily and casually.

"He brought a sense of ease like chatting on the sofa, but also made it look professional," Harris said. "I think it would be a very unique and unprecedented style."

Nowitzki firmly believes Flag has the opportunity to have a long and successful NBA career. As for this year's Mavericks, Nowitzki believes that as long as the players stay healthy, they can become a competitive team in the West.

"For me, it's all about health," Nowitzki said. "When will Kyrie (Irving) come back? Will he be 100% in form when he comes back? Will AD (Anthony Davis) stay healthy? We know (Derick) Levley has missed some games in the past few years. If they stay healthy, they are a very deep team. They have at least two people in each position. They can play multiple tactics."

"I think you can put in a lot of different rosters. (They) have a strong frontcourt roster. With the height, wingspan and athleticism they have, the defense should be very good. So for me, it's all about health. If they stay healthy, they can play a great season in the West."

Author: Christian Clark

Translator: GWayNe