Mavericks gift Dirk Nowitzki an awesome statue of himself for Christmas

Dirk Nowitzki received a huge gift on Christmas morning when the Dallas Mavericks unveiled an awesome statue of the legendary forward outside of American Airlines Center.

Owner Mark Cuban promised he would erect a statue in Nowitzki's honor when the team retired Nowitzki's No. 41 jersey earlier this year, and this moment delivered on that promise. The statue features Nowitzki's iconic stepback shot style that helped him become of the best players during his career and in the history of the NBA. Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his 21-year career.

The artist who made the statue, Omri Amrany, also designed a few sculptures of NBA legends including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilk Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal. Details on the statue include the shoes and jersey Nowitzki wore during the Mavericks' title season in 2011 as well as a phrase that reads "loyalty never fades away" at the base.

"It's 21 letters for my 21 years here," Nowitzki told ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Nowitzki currently sits sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring leaderboard with 31,560 points and has been named to 14 All-Star rosters, 12 All-NBA rosters and won an MVP and a Finals MVP. He'll be eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.