Doc Rivers’s timeout at the end of Clippers vs Mavericks game on February 25 was one of the most beautiful moments in basketball history that I have ever seen. With 9.4 seconds remaining in the game with his Los Angeles Clippers leading against the Mavericks by a score of 121-112, Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Doc Rivers uses one of his timeouts to honor Dirk Nowitzki and his legacy in what is most likely his final game in Staples Center – the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers – against the Clippers.
After calling the timeout, Doc Rivers grabs the microphone from the announcers and starts to rally the crowd behind Dirk Nowitzki, chanting “let’s go, let’s go!” All the sudden, you can here the Los Angeles Clippers’s fans in the stadium start cheering. They were not cheering because their team won the game, but for Dirk Nowitzki as he is approaching end of his NBA career. Dirk Nowitzki means so much to NBA fans. He was one of the greatest players to ever step forth on an NBA court, but more importantly, he was inspiration to many future players, fans, and coaches. Dirk Nowitzki paved the way for a new generation of basketball and he was a great person off the court of basketball as well. You know you are an NBA icon when the fans of another team are cheering for you as well.
The other beautiful moment in this video is when the members of the Los Angeles Clippers start hugging him. These are members of the opposing team coming to hug him. This moment expresses two major facts about Dirk that no one will ever forget: He is a well respected player and person across the whole league and that many players look up to Dirk and his legacy as inspiration for their own careers. I had the absolute privilege of getting to watch this legend play basketball growing up, and I enjoyed every second of it.
The Academic Journey 