Dirk Nowitzki told NBA to give 2007 MVP award ‘to somebody else’: I was embarrassed, I let the city and my team down

The Mavericks finished with the best record in the NBA that season by some margin, with a record of 67-15 earning them the number one seed in the Western Conference. Despite that regular season dominance, however, they were unable to get past the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs, losing that series 4-2. The San Antonio Spurs went on to win the championship. In a recent interview with Rachel Nichols, Nowitzki said that he was “embarrassed. All I wanted to do was go somewhere where nobody knew me.” Unfortunately for Nowitzki, the NBA had other plans. According to the Mavs legend, he received a call from the league telling him to stay where he was as “there is a chance you might get the MVP.” Nowitzki’s response to learning he might receive the prestigious award, however, was “just give it to somewhere else.” -via Clutch Points / April 20, 2023