“Make mistakes and make bad decisions: you learn from them,” said Dirk Nowitzki once but he himself made one that he regrets to this day. The one-legged fadeaway jumper that defied physics. The 31,560 career points that defined an era. Dirk Nowitzki didn’t just play basketball; he revolutionized it. His contributions to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 were immeasurable, as he helped them clinch the championship. However, behind the dazzling highlights and the adoring fans lay a darker truth

In the recent episode of ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, Matt Barnes asked the segment’s guest, Joakim Noah, to say a few words for the power forwards that he was going to name. The first player that the 44-year-old named was the former Dallas Maverick’s power forward Dirk Nowitzki when Noah made a revelation about him. “It’s too easy for him. You know I saw him last year. He was like he couldn’t, he could barely walk. I’m like, what’s wrong bro? He goes, man I should have never played that last year, that last year f–k me up, he was like it was year 20 and I was like how many years did you play? He was like I played thirteen, but it was really twelve and he’s like the way you play basketball and the way I play basketball, it’s different sport,” said Noah during the video.

The German power forward who is 46 years old now, has played 1522 games in his career till now and it has surely taken some toll on him over the years. Why? His career best was in the 2005-2006 season when he scored 26.6 PPG and 9.0 RPG. If we compare it to his last season, there was a drastic change.  During the 2018-2019 season, the power forward scored only an average of 7.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG. Even Nowitzki himself in a business meeting last year admitted that he should have retired early.”It’s always hard to find the right moment for a competitor. The decision was kind of made for me. I think mentally I could have done one more year to see Luka grow and help him out. But physically I couldn’t keep it up,” said Nowitzki during the business meet last year.

As the NBA continues to evolve, Nowitzki’s story serves as both a cautionary tale and a reminder. For now, basketball fans are left to grapple with this bittersweet reality. However, did you know that Noah expressed some words for another power forward also?

What Joakim Noah said for another power-forward

The former NBA All-Star during the podcast expressed his admiration for the 5x NBA champion Tim Duncan. The 39-year-old praised Duncan for his approach to the game and also for his work ethic.

In contrast to some of his contemporaries who may have been distracted by off-court distractions, Duncan was known for his dedication to the game. “The big fundamentals, quiet, but completive as hell too. You can just tell. He’s just, he wasn’t drinking after the game he wasn’t partying he wasn’t you know, smoking mad doobies you could just tell he was just he was somebody it was probably easy for him to go to sleep at eleven pm after the game you know that’s what I think of him,” said Noah during the podcast.

The former All-Star didn’t stop with Tim Duncan but also went on to praise other power forwards like Kevin Garnett and Anthony Davis. His words serve as a testament to the player’s greatness and their enduring impact on the NBA.