Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki nearly knocked to the ground during fan's failed dunk attempt
NBA champion Dirk Nowitzki learned the hard way that giving a fan an opportunity to dunk over you can be a risky proposition.
The seven-footer appeared at a promotional event outside the Dallas Mavericks' home arena before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and a fan at the event was eager to show off his dunking prowess.
Nowitzki stood under the basket and held the ball behind his head as the fan got a running start.
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But the fan's dunk attempt was unsuccessful.
"Damn, Chris," an announcer said in reaction to the attempt.
The fan did not even manage to get the ball from Nowitzki's hands. He instead landed on the former NBA star's back, almost knocking him down in the process.
The collar on Nowitzki's blue shirt popped up as a result of the failed dunk. Aside from that, the Mavs legend appeared OK.
Nowski spent his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, was the 2011 NBA Finals MVP and retired in 2021.
The Mavericks lost 106-99 in Game 3, and the Boston Celtics have a 3-0 series lead entering Friday night's Game 4.
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