Dirk Nowitzki has already held discussions with new Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri about potentially becoming more involved with the franchise, although the Hall of Famer stressed that nothing is imminent.
Speaking exclusively to DLLS Sports, Nowitzki said Ujiri wants him to remain connected to the organization after he previously distanced himself from the Mavericks because of decisions he did not agree with.
“Well, you know, everybody knows that I pulled back there for a while. There were some things Done that I didn’t agree with, and I kind of just pulled back from the franchise,” Nowitzki said.
Nowitzki added that he has known Ujiri for a long time and that the two have already discussed what his future involvement with the Mavericks could look like.
“But, you know, I’ve known Masai for a long, long time. We’ve already had some discussions on what’s going to transpire in the future. And he obviously wants me to be a part of the Mavericks,” Nowitzki said.
The 48-year-old former forward emphasized that the conversations remain preliminary. His current commitments as an NBA analyst for Amazon and his role on the FIBA board require extensive travel, making an immediate full-time position difficult.
“There’s nothing really imminent here in the near future,” Nowitzki said. “Of course, I have my job as an analyst and with FIBA on the board, so I travel a ton.”
Still, Nowitzki made clear that his relationship with Dallas remains important. He spent his entire 21-year NBA career with the Mavericks, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, games, minutes and three-pointers while winning the 2011 NBA championship.
“I’ll always, as we know, a Maverick for life and I’d love to be around and maybe one day even come around more and more and maybe have some input at some point,” Nowitzki said.
The timing could eventually make Nowitzki’s involvement particularly significant as Dallas enters a new phase under Ujiri and head coach Dusty May. The Mavericks went 26-56 in 2025-26, finishing 12th in the Western Conference, and have since committed to building around 2026 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games during his rookie season, establishing himself as the centerpiece of Dallas’ youth-focused rebuild.
The Mavericks also added Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama and Morez Johnson Jr. while adding international prospects Sergio de Larrea and Tarik Biberovic to the developing roster.
