LeBron James vs. Dirk Nowitzki: Whose Legacy Benefits More from a Championship?

LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki are among the top five players in the NBA right now, and arguably 1A and 1B in the playoffs this year. 

When their careers are over with, they will become Hall of Fame players and possibly both crack top 50 and even to 25 players of all time lists.

Although Nowitzki and James have had very different careers from day one, they have plenty in common in the last few years. 

Nowitzki and James have both been to the NBA finals a single time, both resulting in a sour defeat.  Dirk Nowitzki suffered a heart-braking, controversial loss to the Miami Heat in 2006, while LeBron James suffered an embarrassing sweep against the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

The following year, both superstars were gone by the time the second round came to an end. The same story followed in 2009, although James did make it just a bit farther into the Conference Finals.  In 2010, once again, both players were eliminated early in the playoffs.

Following a controversial summer in which LeBron James became the most criticized sports figure in recent memory for signing with the Miami Heat, his new team and the Dallas Mavericks find themselves re-living 2006 memories.

A championship for LeBron James will inevitably turn around many critics.  LeBron James decided to form a trio of superstars to win multiple championships, which is or should be the ultimate goal for a player that is a true winner.

Winning a championship in his first year of this magnificent experiment orchestrated by Miami Heat management (and Dwayne Wade) would make his “Decision” one to remember as positive.

On the other hand, Dirk Nowitzki took a completely different route to his ultimate goal.  Nowitzki had the opportunity to join another superstar or perhaps two if he wanted to in the summer.  Rather than doing what James did, he trusted the Mavericks’ management to deliver on their promises. 

It worked.

The Mavericks have had an amazing season and have surprised everyone in the playoffs. They were expected to be upset in the first round just like they have been in three of the past four years. 

In round two, the Lakers were supposed to easily beat the soft Mavericks. In the conference Finals, the Thunder were supposed to be too young and too athletic for the old Mavericks. No, no, and no.

Dirk Nowitzki is already one of the best players in the world and his legacy is possibly enough to have NBA analysts talk about him for the next 50 years.  Regardless, a championship will put a golden seal on all of this. 

An NBA Championship for Nowitzki will not only be proof that he “got it done," but it will also be proof that loyalty and trust works. It would be a challenge to find a player with such a remarkable story as Nowitzki, in terms of success and failures and reaction to those failures.

It is truly a shame that one of these two players is destined to lose in this year’s NBA Finals. Both player’s legacies would take a significant boost from winning such a series. Ultimately, one will go home empty-handed, and the other will take a significant step forward in their legacy as an NBA player.

At the end of the day, Dirk Nowitzki gets the nod because of what his championship will mean in terms of soft skills such as loyalty and trust. 

Thinking differently?  Please leave your comments below!