Do we like them?Do we like Dirk Nowitzki?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Nothing harmful turned up, plus real charity and a steady record, though the search for his views on LGBTQ+ issues came up thin.
Nowitzki is the German who became the face of one NBA club. He has been a Dallas Maverick through and through, and in 2026 he went into the FIBA Hall of Fame as part of its class, which is a big deal for a bloke who led Germany at the world stage for two decades.
The most recent drama is a falling-out with his old club. He told reporters he had “pulled back from the franchise” after decisions he disagreed with, and he was publicly sad and disappointed when Luka Dončić was traded in 2025. He said he felt for Dončić, who he reckons didn't see it coming, and that is loyalty rather than a scandal.
The nearest thing to a bad headline is the 2018 Sports Illustrated report on the Mavericks' workplace. It alleged a hostile environment for women and accused a former team president of sexual misconduct, which he denied. Nowitzki was not accused of anything. He called the allegations “very disappointing” and “heartbreaking” in public.
On the harm test, the record is clean as far as we could find. After George Floyd's death in 2020 he posted that he was devastated, and said “Wir müssen jetzt etwas ändern” (we have to change something now). We found no anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, no conspiracy theories and no dodgy co-stars, though we also found him largely silent on LGBTQ+ issues, so that part is thin.
The good stuff is real. In 2020 his foundation gave more than $100,000 to the North Texas Food Bank, plus money to CitySquare and Hope Supply Co., and bought meals for emergency workers during the pandemic. That is giving money away when it was needed, not a photo op.
We found no court cases against him, and the only fines on the record are basketball ones. Nothing turned up on how he treats staff or fans either way, so the good-person pass rests on a long run with no complaints and some visible kindness. That's the honest limit of the file.