Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks was looking at the ‘Tim Duncan path’ before joining the NBA on Prime

ByNBAUSA


After an incredible Hall of Fame career, Dirk Nowitzki rode off into the sunset with no one knowing if, or when, he would be heard from again regarding the NBA. And for a while it looked like Nowitzki would take it Tim Duncan routes and disappear from the scene with an exception occasional visit to the franchise he spent all 21 years his NBA career with.

That is, until Amazon came knocking on his door.

As the new broadcast rights partner for the NBA in this new, 11-year media rights deal, Amazon launched the NBA on Prime with star studded cast with host Taylor Rooks along with former players like Blake Griffin, Udonis Haslem, Steve Nash, Dwyane Wade, John Wall, Rudy Gay and Dirk Nowitzki.

The former 2011 NBA champion and Mavs superstar always envisioned himself working in some sort of front office role with the Dallas franchise he joined in 1998, but circumstances beyond his control — Mark Cuban selling his majority stake in the Mavs, Nico Harrison trading franchise superstar Luka Doncic — made that more difficult than first thought.

Dirk Nowitzki is arguably the biggest name in the NBA on Prime’s coverage, providing unparalleled insight into the studio show alongside Rooks, Griffin and Haslem. But how did he get here?

Nowitzki spoke with ClutchPoints about his decision to join Amazon’s NBA coverage on Prime after half a decade away from the game.

“I thought I’d go the Tim Duncan route and you’d never see me again,” Nowitzki joked. “But I felt like I took a nice break here for six years. I originally thought I was going to go help the Mavs, obviously, in a front office role after I retired, and the more I was out and traveling and the little kids, that wasn’t really in the plan.

“But now, after six years, I felt like it was time. I started itching. I wanted to be in the game again, to talk, and then this opportunity came up, and now I’m excited.”

NBA on Prime dominated Friday night hoops to open the season, including NBA Cup nights throughout November. They will also have exclusive rights to the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds and Championship, starting on December 9th.

During the first three weeks, fans were able to engage in light-hearted yet informative conversations between seasoned NBA veterans. The 13,000-square-foot NBA studio allowed the team to provide a unique twist on league coverage.

“I’m excited to be here,” Dirk Nowitzki added. “We’ve got a lot of talent behind and in front of the camera, so I’m excited to be a part of it. That’s how it came about, just hanging around, poking my nose at some, doing some stuff with the Mavs, and then I helped out on a show on TNT last year in the playoffs one time when Shaq was at a game and I just kind of snooped around that time and then I enjoyed it. obviously he approached me, I got to know the guys and what they wanted to do.

Nowitzki played 21 years in the NBA, and while he was always friendly with members of the media, he always seemed more reserved than other players when it came to the cameras. The German star confirmed that this was the case, having no idea that he would be a TV analyst.

“For me, when I was playing, I never thought that one day I would be in the media space. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would be a TV analyst, I would have said: ‘you are absolutely crazy.’ I never expected this to come, but this was a great opportunity. And I’ve been messing around with Mavs TV a little bit and doing a little studio work, even doing some play-by-play, or color commentary during games. But I was just kidding. I never thought this was in my cards.”

Among the NBA talent on Prime’s new studio show, Nowitzki has the least experience. Udonis Haslem has appeared on ESPN throughout his post-NBA career, and Blake Griffin has always had the perfect on-camera persona. Steve Nash has also made several television appearances and also hosts a podcast you may have heard of called “Mind The Game”, with one LeBron James.

That’s why Nowitzki is using these early season opportunities to learn as much as he can.

“I mean, I’m here to learn,” Dirk Nowitzki admitted. “I’m here to get better. I’m here to absorb. Maybe I’m getting better week by week, show by show, talking about the game, analyzing the game. So I’m always a student of the game. I was the same when I played. I was never satisfied, I always wanted to be better, and I’m going to try.

“This opportunity came up, and I just met with (Amazon) and saw their vision of what they want to do here and what they want to build with some really cool people in front of the camera and behind the camera, and they’ve all been amazing. They’ve hired some great talent. Like I said, I’m not coming here thinking I know everything. I want to learn and work and learn from them, and I’m going to learn something from them try to be better.”

Nowitzki’s lone title is considered one of the greatest playoff games in recent NBA history, with the Mavs defeating multiple powerhouse teams en route to the NBA Championship. Dallas swept the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. They then defeated the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden-led OKC Thunder in the conference finals, advancing to face the new-look Miami Heat.

As talented as they were, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were no match for Dallas’ cohesive and balanced offense. A video of James and Wade taunting Nowitzki under the weather went viral on social media midway through the Finals, making the series a little more personal. The Mavericks ended up winning the 2011 NBA Championship in six games.

Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki (41) drives past Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Miami Heat center Udonis Haslem joked that he and Nowitzki had to get together first to get the NBA on the same page.

“It started with me and Dirk getting in a room,” Haslem said. “I think when me and Dirk broke the ice, I think everybody was cool and could exhale. So I think that was the beginning of the chemistry. It was just me and Dirk walking into the room together and breaking the ice.”

Oh, and don’t think Dirk Nowitzki is going to let any interview end without showing immense pride in the success the German national team has seen in recent years. Despite not winning a medal at the 2024 Olympics, Germany won gold at the 2023 FIBA ​​World Championship and 2025 FIBA ​​EuroBasket.

“Obviously, I was super proud of how the game grew. When I first came into the league, there were a few pioneers, some from Europe, like Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Drazen Petrovic. Then I came into the league and had a little bit of success, and Tony Parker and Pau Gasol came and we were able to influence the game and make our national team grow every year. way.

“It’s been a fantastic journey to be a part of and watch these guys come in now, not only to be role players, but to be franchise players, to be MVPs. It’s been an incredible journey for foreign players over the last 20-30 years, and it’s only going to get better. I’m excited to be a small part of this game outside of it. The guys and German basketball have been great, we’ve changed a few things around youth training, like 10-15 years ago, we have this youth Bundesliga, and I think it really took the game to another level, along with some of the coaches.

“Now we’re seeing it all done, and I’m happy for some of the Federation guys who’ve been around for 30 years, working extremely hard. We’ll see what else this golden generation can do with Franz (Wagner) and obviously Dennis Schroeder and all these guys. It’s been fun to watch.”

Amazon’s coverage of the NBA continues every Friday throughout the NBA season, including the NBA Cup knockout stages.





2025-11-14 22:14:00

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