Nowitzki's True Staying Power Lies in His Popularity

Dirk Nowitzki’s production is in decline, but his popularity is hanging on.

That’s according to new results from Public Policy Polling, which between May 7-10 asked 1,500 registered voters this simple question:

Who is your favorite NBA player?

Not surprisingly, tip-of-tongue, top-of-mind league MVP Steph Curry won the poll with 19 percent of votes. The Warriors’ star was followed by LeBron James (18 percent), Kobe Bryant (14), Kevin Durant (13) and Tim Duncan (10). The only other players to garner at least 5 percent of the votes were Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and the 37-year-old Mavericks’ star.

Dirk may no longer be among the handful of best players in the league, but his passion and loyalty are keeping him high on the list of most popular players with fans.

I put a lot of stock (and hope) into the poll, until I read all the voting categories and realized that one-third of Americans believe that right now – in May of 2015 – a 50-year-old Michael Jordan could beat James in a game of one-on-one.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us