Danke, Dirk!
June 16, 2011
An estimated crowd of 250,000 fans turned out on a hot, sunny day to line the streets of Dallas to see the triumphant NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks, parade by on cars and floats.
They included Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, the 7'0" (2.13m) star of the Mavericks' season who had fans chasing after his float along the parade route for a better look at the MVP of the finals.
On Sunday, the Mavericks won their first title in the team's 31-year history, beating the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series.
The parade through the city was paid for by the team's owner, Mark Cuban, and ended at the American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks play their home games. There, several thousand fans were treated to a celebratory show which included a repeat of Sunday's title-clinching game against Miami.
Fans in Nowitzki's hometown of Würzburg, many of whom stayed up until the wee hours of Monday morning to watch the final game live from Miami, are looking forward to greeting Germany's best basketball player with a reception the next time he comes back for a visit.
Author: Matt Zuvela (dpa, sid, AP)
Editor: Susan Houlton