Olive Street is dead. Long live Nowitzki Way.
"He is one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet, a real humanitarian and a great citizen," Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "I am honored my first major street renaming will be for him."
In 21 season with the Mavs, Nowitzki made the All-Star team 14 times. He won the league's MVP award following the 2006-07 season and led the Mavericks to the first, and to date only, NBA championship in 2011.
One of his teammates from that playoff run accepted Wednesday's honor on Nowitzki's behalf.
"I served as Dirk's teammate for eight years with the Dallas Mavericks," Jason Terry said. "We won a championship, we brought one home for the city of Dallas and that was one of my greatest achievements as a professional athlete. I want to tell you that, as great of a basketball player as Dirk is and was, he is that much more as a human being."
The council's decision comes five months after it was first proposed by council members Adam Medrano, Omar Narvaez and former council member Scott Griggs. In their application for the name change, they cited both Nowitzki's achievements with the Mavericks and his extensive community work, including his annual Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game and his eponymous foundation.
City Council unanimously approved to support MPT Medrano’s proposed street name change to honor Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki. Olive Street will now be“Nowitzki Way” Thank you to @jasonterry31 for coming and showing support of the street name change. @swish41 #MFFL #GOAT pic.twitter.com/TlBDoKUowy
— Adam Medrano (@VoteAdamMedrano) September 25, 2019
"(Nowitzki) demonstrates the highest levels of compassion, honesty, teamwork, respect and integrity in both his personal and professional life, and he has served as a global ambassador for the city of Dallas throughout his 21 years with the Mavericks," the trio wrote.
The renaming will cover the portion of Olive Street that runs between Victory Avenue and Field Street.
