Dirk Nowitzki's Best Teammates Throughout His NBA Career

When Steven Nash left the Phoenix Suns just two years into his professional career for the Dallas Mavericks, he could have never imagined that in that same year, the Mavs would draft arguably the best player in their franchise's history. Nash would play alongside Dirk Nowitzki for the first six years of his professional career, and the duo made magic on the court. Nash's incredible tendency for flashy passing and spacing the floor worked wonderfully next to the big man who loved to shoot from the mid-range, and together, they would make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, before falling short and going their separate ways.

Jason Kidd would join the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki during the 2007-08 season after being traded there at the deadline, and he would help be the catalyst to change the franchise forever. Nowitzki would be in the peak of his career by the time Kidd joined the team, and Kidd was nearing the end of his professional playing career and looking for one last run to the chip, and together, they made magic. Kidd and Nowitzki had instant chemistry together and revolutionized the franchise to become one of the most feared in the NBA. Their hard work and dedication would peak at winning the 2011 NBA championship in what many consider to be the best playoff run in history.

As Dirk Nowitzki entered the final season of his professional career, the Dallas Mavericks would simultaneously draft one of the best and brightest foreign prospects the NBA had ever seen in Luka Doncic. At this point in his career, Dirk was simply a grizzled vet looking for one last run in the sun, but once Doncic came, everything changed. Nowitzki realized that he could take the young gun under his wing and teach him what it took to be one of the greatest players of all time, and throughout the season the relationship between Doncic and Nowitzki thrived. To this day, Doncic still credits and praises all the lessons Nowitzki thought him.

In Dirk Nowitzki's second year in the league, he would be joined by one of the greatest players of all time during the last year of his professional career Dennis Rodman. Rodman was 38 years old by the time he joined the team, and he would only play 12 games with the team until injuries and turmoil ended his season. During this time, however, Rodman and Nowitzki spent a lot of time together, where Rodman would tell Nowitzki stories about what it took to win a championship, and they became one of the most unlikely duos and friends. 

Towards the end of his career, A.C. Green became a journeyman, playing for 4 teams in 5 years, and one of these stops was with Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks during Dirk's rookie season. Green was an aging championship-winning player on an incredibly young and inexperienced team, and while he could have caused a commotion to leave for a contender, he decided to take the young guys, including Nowitzki, under his wing and team them winning ways. In this shortened season the Mavs would go 19-31, however, Green left his impact with the rookies and helped change the culture of the team.

Hall of Fame point guard Tim Hardaway would sign with the Dallas Mavericks during his second to last season in the NBA in an attempt to make an impact on a championship-winning team. Hardaway would be relegated to a bench role at this time and Nowitzki would carry the team as he averaged the highest points and rebounds of his career to this point. Hardaway was a key piece in getting the Mavs to a 57-25 record, with his driving and floor spacing being phenomenal, however, injuries would see the vet traded to the Denver Nuggets before the trade deadline.