http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/04/dirk-nowitzki_n_5592552.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

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The NBA Star Who Keeps Turning Down Bigger Paychecks
By Jordan Schultz
08/04/2014 11:03 am EDT

In a day and age when superstar athletes often jump ship for other franchises, Dirk Nowitzki has played out his career for one organization, remaining a Dallas Maverick even as his salary decreased. When the 36-year-old native of Germany recently accepted a three-year, $25 million offer, he became the fourth-highest paid player ... on his own team.

It's not that Nowitzki hasn't had other offers. On July 3, he passed up the most money in league history, turning down $97 million maximum bids from the L.A. Lakers and the Houston Rockets.

Nowitzki isn't hurting for cash -- he's made more than $200 million in his career. But his team loyalty and willingness to take a pay cut are certainly a contrast to choices made by personalities like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

"Money isn’t something I play for," Nowitzki told ESPN Dallas in 2013. "(Mark) Cuban has taken care of me for a long, long time. I always tried to pay him back by hard playing and being here for this franchise, so I don't think we're going to fight over money. I want to compete over these last couple of years. That's going to be the goal."

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Cuban, the longtime Mavericks owner who inherited Nowitzki on the roster when he purchased the team in 2000, admits that he and his star "have grown up in the NBA together."

"There are so many [examples] I can't count," Cuban told The Huffington Post via email. "From hanging out at his first All-Star games, to our annual summer trips, to everything he has done for this organization."

Nowitzki's reasoning for taking a pay cut is pretty simple: He wants a shot at a second NBA championship. And he's turned down lucrative offers before. In 2010, when he was eligible for a $96 million maximum contract from the Mavs, he instead signed for $80 million. The decision ultimately paid off because it allowed Cuban to maximize the roster -- and that year the Mavs won their first and only title in franchise history, led by Nowitzki, who captured Finals' MVP honors.

Off the floor, Nowitzki is the rare superstar who stays away from marquee endorsement deals and commercials. He has had just one sponsorship in his career, with Nike, when he surely could have boosted his brand with more. His eagerness to help the community is also inspiring. In 2005, he started the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, which promotes health, physical activity and education for children around the world. As a result, UNICEF last year made him their German ambassador.

"Dirk is just as amazing off the court as he is on," Cuban said. "I can't begin to tell you how much I respect and appreciate who he is as a person."

credit: huffingtonpost.com

That's nice that Dirk turned down big money from other teams this summer to stay in Dallas. He's a loyal guy and that's different in this generation of selfish NBA stars who go from team to team because they want more money and they wanna go to teams that has stars so they can get a championship LOL.

That's nice that Dirk turned down big money from other teams this summer to stay in Dallas. He's a loyal guy and that's different in this generation of selfish NBA stars who go from team to team because they want more money and they wanna go to teams that has stars so they can get a championship LOL.

Give me a break. EVERY NBA owner is a billionaire who isn't hurting in the least for money. And spare me the nonsense about how there are severe penalties if you go over the salary cap. So what? As I wrote in my first sentence the owners are all billionaires and paying an extra $40,000,000 in penalties isn't going to hurt their bottom line in the least, it's just another tax write off in addition to the entire team being a tax write off.

And I for one would sure as hell want to play for a team that had a legit shot at winning a championship. Going by your logic Magic Johnson was selfish when he went and played for the Lakers instead of the Clippers and Garnett is selfish for demanding and then forcing a trade to the Celtics and Duncan is selfish for staying with the Spurs rather than demanding to be traded to the Bucks.

That's nice that Dirk turned down big money from other teams this summer to stay in Dallas. He's a loyal guy and that's different in this generation of selfish NBA stars who go from team to team because they want more money and they wanna go to teams that has stars so they can get a championship LOL.

Amen to that, @ least guys like Dirk and Duncan are smart to stay with their teams and be loyal and faithful to them

God Bless'em Both

Oh yeah, it sure is faithful to not be paid your full market value EVER or to get anywhere near what you actual worth is. That isn't being faithful, it's being stupid. It's called an abusive relationship. I'm curious as to why you hand wave away the fact that NBA hell virtually EVERY professional athlete has ZERO choice in to where they will play, they don't get to pick and choose among the teams, but instead are drafted after having to go through the combine which is much like examinations slaves had to undergo and then they are drafted ie bought by a modern day slave owner who 'owns' their rights and thus can and has been able to prevent them from playing for any other team.

But you have no problem with that? Wow.

Darmund, you sound ********. If Dirk Nowitzki wants to stay with Dallas, that's his business. How much money does a athlete need? You can only live in one house and you can only drive one car. So many former black NBA players and former NFL black players are broke when their career is over because they spend their money foolishly on big houses, several cars, expensive clothes, expensive jewelry, expensive shoes, women, giving money to their broke friends and buying them food at restaurants and paying for their airplane tickets. Have you seen the documentary that ESPN did about former broke athletes? Antoine Walker who's a former NBA player who played for the Celtics, Dallas, Miami spoke about he's broke and how he spent his money foolishly. When i watched his interview, i just shook my head listening to how foolishly he lost a lot of money. Why would Tim Duncan wanna be traded to Milwaukee? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Milwaukee will never win any championships LOL.